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THE 

PATHWAY OF FIRE, 



OR 



Baptist Principles Traced By the Efforts to Ex- 
terminate Them. 



*£ 



By H. P. FITCH. 



Author of "Through Shadow to Sunshine/* "Saved By 
His Wife/* "At the Temple Gate," Etc, 



"I will leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and 
poor people, and they shall trust in the name of the 
Lord." 




Copyrighted 189''5. 
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, 



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[THE LIBRARY] 

or cohg***»! 




REV. H. P. FITCH. 



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CONTENTS. 



CHAPTEK I. 
Finding the Path. 

CHAPTER II. 
Correcting Mistakes. 

CHAPTER III. 
The Place of Starting. 

CHAPTER IV. 
A Chapter of Testimony. 

CHAPTER V. 
Contending For the Faith 

CHAPTER VI. 
The Wilderness Way. 

CHAPTER VII. 
Witnessing in Sack-Cloth. 

CHAPTER VIII. 
Cast Down But Not Destroyed. 

CHAPTER IX. 

Out of Great Tribulation. 

CHAPTER X. 

What of the Night? 

CHAPTER XT. 

An Army With Banners. 



isdLL 



To the 
memory of 
Rev. R. A. Fyfe, D. D. 
At whose feet I first learned 
to love the study of that "Pathway of Fire," 
so long trodden by the feet of our 
fathers, this little volume is af- 
fectionately dedicated by 
the author. 



NEW TESTAMENT 
CHURCHES 

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THE PATHWAY OF FIRE. 



The Pathway of Fire* 



PRELIMINARY CHAPTER. 



Most of the writers who have written on the 
subject of "Baptist History, have gone to one or 
the other of two extremes. One class are those 
who insist on the necessity and possibility of 
tracing an unbroken succession of Baptist 
churches, from the days of the Apostles; one 
church, through its regularly constituted ad- 
ministrator, transmitting its apostolic baptism 
to another church following it. 

This is as unnecessary as it is impossible. It 
is never wise for any religious denomination to 
claim more than they can substantiate; and this 
is especially unwise, when such claims are en- 
tirely unnecessary. Wherever possible, bap- 
tism should be administered by a regularly con- 
stituted administrator, as it tends, the better, 
to preserve the "order of the Lord's house;'' but 
genuine apostolic succession consists in '"keep- 
ing the ordinances as they were delivered" rath- 
er than in the simple act of transmitting bap- 
tism from one to another. Wherever you find 
an assembly of converted men and women, who, 
as such, have been immersed on the profession 
of their faith in Christ, as a personal Savior, 
and have united themselves together in the fel- 



u THE PATHWAY OF FIRE. 

lowship of the Gospel, to maintain the worship 
and ordinances of Christ, there you have true 
apostolic succession. 

Had this truth always been kept in 
mind, it would have spared much useless labor, 
in efforts to substantiate what neither Scripture 
nor reason requires. 

The class who go to the other extreme, are 
those who deny the possibility of tracing an un- 
broken line of Baptist principles from the days 
of the apostles until now. This is equally a 
mistake with the other. A succession of Bap- 
tist churches we do not claim because it is not 
necessary; a succession of Baptist principles we 
do claim, and that claim can be made good. 
From the days of Christ until now, there has 
never been a period in which we cannot trace 
a people, holding the principles and doctrines, 
and following the practices that essentially 
characterize the Baptists of the present clay. 

The author of this little book wishes it under- 
stood, therefore, that it is not his intention to 
write a history of the Baptist denomination. 
He believes the middle ground between the two 
extremes, above mentioned, to be the correct 
one. He firmly believes that there can be traced 
an unbroken chain of Baptist principles, 
down through the ages, from the first to the 
nineteenth century. He will not attempt to 
cover all the ground, even, in this field of study. 
That would make the book too large for his pur- 
pose. He wishes it for the masses, and will 



PRELIMINARY CHAPTER. 7 

condense the matter as much as is consistent 
with a clear narrative. 

One or two further facts should also 
be stated, however, before proceeding- with 
our narrative. One is that not all of those 
who protested against the corruptions of the 
Roman Catholics, the Greek church, or other 
state churches through all those ages, were 
Baptists. Here, I think, is where some writers 
of Baptist history have made a mistake. For 
instance, they have claimed that all who went 
by the name of "Anabaptists," were, in both 
principles and practice, our own people. This 
has not only rendered them subject to criti- 
cism, but has furnished those who essentially 
differ from the Baptists with strong argu- 
ments against their claim to antiquity. They 
have been able to prove that some, at least, 
of those who have been claimed as Baptists, 
were, in some of their practices, quite different 
from our people of modern times, and they have 
argued that if some of those whom the Baptists 
claim are proven to be otherwise than genu- 
ine Baptists, it is reasonable to conclude that 
they were all alike different, and the claim to 
Baptist antiquity therefore falls to the ground. 

The truth is that there can be found, as we 
pass down the ages, people in all stages of sep- 
aration, from the great hierarchies that have 
stood out so prominently on the pages of his- 
tory, for their power and persecuting spirit. 
Even the term "Anabaptist" does not, in all 
cases, indicate a people, in doctrine and prac- 



8 THE PATHWAY OF FIRE. 

tice, in all particulars, similar to our own. For 
instance, after the apostolic practice of believ- 
ers' immersion had, to a great extent, been 
superseded by the immersion of infants, and 
later, by the sprinkling of infants, there were 
some so-called Anabaptists who, while they re- 
fused to recognize any but believers as scrip- 
tural subjects of baptism, were content to adopt 
the new custon of sprinkling and pouring. 
This, of course, refers only to the period from 
the beginning of the fifteenth to about the mid- 
dle of the sixteenth centuries. Up to the for- 
mer period, immersion was the almost universal 
custom, and, therefore, wherever we find be- 
lievers' baptism, we find believers' immersion. 
After that date, for at least a hundred and fifty 
years, we need to be very careful lest we claim 
as Baptists, many who materially differed 
from us, in one of the essential characteristics 
of a Baptist church, namely, the act of immer- 
sion as positively essential to New Testament 
baptism. Baptists there were, and they ad- 
hered tenaciously to this New Testament prac- 
tice, while mianv others of the same name, ac- 
cented, and followed the teachings of men, 
rather than the commandments of Christ. 
While this was partly, no doubt, from choice, 
there ran be no question, in many instances, 
that it was the result of the hand of persecu- 
tion laid so heavily rmon them, com r» ell mf 
them to hide their principles, and worship God 
in secret. 

Another fact to be borne in mind is, that, as 



PRELIMINARY CHARTER. 

we may readily understand, all those people 
of whom we write, were influenced, more or less, 
by the manners and customs of the people and 
age in which they lived. It would be unreason- 
able for us to exxDect to find in the early centu- 
ries the refinement of civilization, as we under- 
stand it, we have in the present age. The fact 
that they were influenced by the manners and 
customs, the learning and philosophy of their 
age, does not, in the least, prove them to be 
unbaiptistic or any the less New Testament 
Christians. This is an important consideration, 
and should not be lost sight of as we follow 
their pathway through the ages. In writing 
this I am not forgetful of the fact that the pen 
of persecution has attacked their memory, even 
as the sword of persecution attacked their 
person. It is, however, enough for us to know 
that he who has provided a place for their 
"souls under the altar," and furnished them 
with "white robes, bidding them to be patient," 
will, in his own good time, reveal to men, as 
he has already revealed to angels, the grand- 
eur of their principles and the heroism of their 
lives. 

With this brief preliminary statement, let 
us away to our task of tracing the footsteps of 
our fathers along their fiery pathway through 
the ages. 



10 THE PATHWAY OF TIRE. 



CHAPTER I. 

FINDING THE PATH. 

'•Ask for the old paths; where is the good way '? " 

To one who delights in the truth, and 
loves to folloAv its footsteps, there can be no 
more interesting and profitable study, than 
to trace the history of pure Christianity, in its 
devious windings down through the ages of the 
past. To follow it, as starting from its Divine 
fountain head, it flows, like a clear pellucid 
stream, now through some rugged mountain 
defile, where the great towering rocks frown 
down upon him — now through some dark forest 
glen, where the thorns and briars of the world's 
petty hatred scratch and annoy him — then 
through some pleasant meadow vale, where on 
either side, stretch the green fields and fragrant 
flowers of religious thought and freedom — now 
almost lost to sight beneath the overhanging 
arches and matted brambles of superstition and 
error; until, at last, it flows out in the clear, 
broad unruffled stream of pure gospel truth — 
ever growing deeper and broader, as its crystal 
waters flow onward, distributing their life-giv- 
ing influences to the nations of the earth. 
Such, in a word, is the history of Baptist prin- 
ciples, from the days of the apostles, until now. 



FINDING THE PATH. 11 

And yet, let me assure the reader, there are 
but few studies that he will pursue with more 
mingled feelings of pleasure and pain; or in 
which he will need to exercise greater caution, 
if he would arrive at the exact truth. Not be- 
cause God has failed to keep alive the lamp of 
Divine Christianity, during- rill those dav« of 
the church's tribulation, "when the Man of Sin 
sat upon his seven hills, and from his throne of 
darkness ruled the world." Not because 
Clmst's altar-fires were left to languish and ex- 
pire, and leave the world in darkness. Ah no! 
for as God, in the days of Elijah, had reserved 
to himself seven thousand men, who had never 
bowed the knee to Baal or to his image, so, 
never since the gospel lieht first shone o'er 
.Tudea's plains, has he allowed it to become 
extinguished. 

There are several things, however, that com- 
bine to render the studv an exceedingly diffi- 
cult one. In the first place special care is nec- 
essary to separate the true from the false; and 
to distinguish between that which, like pure 
gold will stand the test of the hot fires of perse- 
cution, and the dross, which the fire onlv con- 
sumes, and which fails to measure up to the 
infallible Bible standard. 

Then, a Grain, the careless student is in great 
danger of being caught bv the glare and slit- 
ter, the pomp and pageantry, and gorgeous rit- 
ualism of corrupt state organizations. Here is 
where so many of our so-called church histories 



12 THE PATHWAY OF FIRE. 

fail. They are almost exclusively histories of 
churchianity, instead of Christianity. There 
is ample history of the former, that is, of the 
great religious hierarchy, the church of Home — 
indeed, of all those proud haughty state organ- 
izations, but if we would look for the foot-prints 
of pure gospel Christianity, we must follow 
some humbler and more obscure path than 
that taken by those churches that joined in an 
unholy alliance with worldly state power. 

Still another thing that combines to make 
this a difficult study, is the scarcity of reliable 
data from which to arrive at the exact truth. 
It must be borne in mind, as Dean Waddington 
so tersely puts it, that all the information we 
get of those early religious bodies, whom we, as 
Baptists, are wont to regard as our fathers in 
tribulation, is derived from their enemies. It 
will not do to put too much reliance on the tes- 
timony of a witness, when we know the witness 
is an implacable enemy. I am sorry to see 
that even some Baptist writers have fallen 
somewhat into this error. When we remember 
that for centuries it was the policy of Rome to 
misrepresent, to persecute, to deny every civil 
and religious right, and to falsely brand as her> 
etics — to destroy and kill by sword and stake, 
and faggot and fire, those despised followers of 
Jesus, whose only crime was allegiance to 
Christ and his word, the wonder is that there is 
left to us of the nineteenth century, any testr 
mony whatever of the Scripturalness of their 
doctrines or the purity of their lives. Their 



FINDING THE PATH. 13 

books were burned, their records destroyed, 
their members butchered aud their property 
confiscated. 

And yet, in spite of all, God has himself kept 
the records, and in these last days he is gather- 
ing them up, and with trumpet tongue, the; are 
witnessing to the grandeur of that heroism and 
devotion to truth which prompted those mar- 
tyred saints to choose death in its most horrid 
forms rather than to surrender their fidelity to 
Christ, or worship at the shrine of a corrupt 
*tate church. From the musty, mouldering 
piles of their old court records, from the long 
hidden decrees of kings and councils, and vati- 
cans, from the bitter curses and anathemas 
hurled like bolts of thunder at those true wor- 
shipers. 

" Who kept the truth so pure of old," 

from the admissions and contradictions of their 
enemies — from all these God is bringing out 
and flinging to the world the truth concerning 
those ancient martyrs of Jesus. "It is the 
Lord's doings and marvellous in our eyes." 

Let us assure the reader that it is through no 
pleasant, flowery vale that much of his path- 
way will lie as he traces the footprints of pure 
Christianity down through those twelve 
hundred and sixty years, in which her true fol- 
lowers witnessed in sack-cloth, and held aloft 
the lamp of divine truth, amid the dense spir- 
itual darkness, that the world might know that 
Christ still had a church upon the earth. He 



14 THE PATHWAY OF FIRE. 

will trace it by the cruel edicts that were passed 
for its extermination. He will follow it by the 
light of the fires that were kindled to consume 
its faithful witnesses who could die but could 
not prove false to the faith they had received. 
He will trace it by the groans and cries that 
come from darkened prisons and loathsome 
dungeons where the victims of the inquisition 
languished and prayed and died and are forgot- 
ten. By the blood-dyed streams of Europe — 
by the flashing signal fire where it gleams from 
some rocky height to warn the fleeing, perse- 
cuted fugitive where he might find an asylum 
and a hiding place from the fury of his murder- 
ers. From Africa's sands and Armenia's 
snows — from Alpine summits and Piedmont's 
vales — from the scattered ashes where Smith- 
field's fires formed a chariot in which God's 
redeemed ones rode to glory and to God — by the 
voices that come to him from the "souls that 
were under the altar" as thy cry "How long 
oh Lord?" — yea, by all these he can trace that 
"Pathway of Fire" so long trodden by our fath- 
ers that we, their descendents, with the rest 
of mankind, may enjoy the blessing of an open 
Bible and a pure Christianity. 



CORRECTING MISTAKES. 15 

CHAPTER II. 

CORRECTING MISTAKES. 
" He will tea.ch us His ways and we will walk in His paths." 

Before beginning our search for "the true 
origin of that sect/' now known as Baptists, I 
desire to pause and correct one or two errors in 
regard thereto, which, without so intending, 
doubtless, by those who propagate them, never- 
theless do our Baptist people an injustice. I 
refer first to the determined effort made by so 
many modern writers and speakers to show 
that American Baptists owe their origin to and 
descent from Roger Williams; and second, that 
other statement that "the Baptist denomina- 
tion are sprung from the 'Mad Men of Mun- 
ster'," that city in Westphalia where, in 1534, 
occurred a semi-political, semi-religious upris- 
ing of the people who attempted to establish 
an ideal government of their own; and led on 
by ambitious and fanatical leaders, committed 
excesses from which the Baptists of their times 
would have turned away with loathing. 

Concerning the first mistake — that which 
makes the American Baptists descend from 
RogerWilliams — it is not my intention to enter 
into the controversy that has grown out of the 
very strange statement of Rev. Dr. Whitsitt, in 
Cyclopedia, to the effect that the 



16 THE PATHWAY OF FIRE. 

"baptism of Roger Williams was most likely by 
sprinkling." Hoav it was possible, with all the 
tacts and. evidences existing, for Dr. Whitsitt, 
to make such a statement I am at a loss to deter- 
mine, for if any historical fact has been clearly 
and satisfactorily settled, it is that in 1639, at 
the newly planted, colony at what is now the 
city of Providence, Rhode Island, Roger Will- 
iams, Ezekiel Hollman and a number of others 
decided to organize themselves into a Bautist 
church. That they appointed Hollman to im- 
merse Williams, wbo in turn immersed Holl- 
man and the rest and thus completed their or- 
ganization. 

For this baptism of Williams and his associ- 
ates, the Baptists have no apology to make. 
New r Testament baptism derives its authority, 
not from history, but from the New Testament. 
Under the circumstances, that band of believers 
was Scripturally justified in refusing anything 
but New Testament baptism, in act, with the 
best possible administrator at hand. When, as 
an assembly of believers, acting on their belief, 
in New Testament teachings, they appointed 
one of their number to carry out Christ's com- 
mandment, they came under the Divine rule 
laid down in Second Corinthians, 8:12. 

All this, how T ever, in justice to that church, 
and as a Scriptural truth. So far from the 
church thus organized by Roger Williams, 
being the parent of American Baptist churches, 
it has not, and never had, any place in American 
x. aptist history, as I will presently show. 



CORRECTING MISTAKES. 17 

Baptists do not honor Roger Williams as 
their founder in America, but as the lirst man 
to plant on American soil, the Hag of soul lib- 
erty. As a matter of fact, there ay as no genu- 
ine liberty of conscience in America, till Roger 
Williams learned it, loved it, and suffered for 
it. Unfortunately that pernicious error — the 
rjght of the State to control in matters of relig- 
ion, after kindling the tires of Smithiield, and 
covering Europe with the graves of martyred 
dead, embarked with the Puritans in the May- 
flower, and landed oh the shores of the new 
world. 

Roger Williams was the first man in America 
possessing the courage, the heroic faith, to put 
his foot on the head of the monster, and crush 
out its life. For this act, not because he is the 
"Father of American Baptists," he is justly 
entitled to be honorably remembered, not only 
by every Baptist, but every American citizen 
who cherishes freedom or loves soul liberty. 

Here, also, comes in the Scriptural beauty of 
Baptist church independence. Had that 
church remained, it would have simply formed 
one of the many thousands of Baptist churches 
with which America has been covered. It 
might even have contended for the honor of 
being the oldest Baptist church in America, but 
that is all. Each church in all the great Bap- 
tist family derives its authority to exist from 
the living Word, and not from any other Bap- 
tist church. All this, however, has nothing to 
do with American Baptist history. As a his- 



18 THE PATHWAY OF FIRE. 

toxical fact, the church formed by Williams and 
his associates continued only during the space 
of four months. From some cause Williams 
withdrew and allowed the church to become 
scattered and the members to seek a home as 
opportunity offered, elsewhere. We have no 
doubt whatever that there was an overruling 
Providence in this, so directing, that while the 
hero of soul-liberty should plant deep in the soil 
of the New World that God-given principle of 
freedom for which Baptists have contended for 
nineteen centuries, so far as their history is con- 
cerned, the position of American Baptists 
might remain forever unassailable. 

At the proper place in this narrative I will 
give the facts, touching the early history of the 
baptists of this country; at present this is all 
that is necessary to say on the subject. 

The other error is that which refers the origin 
of the Baptists to the "Mad Men of Munster." 
On this point, to those who are willing to accept 
a xjlain, truthful statement of facts, proven be- 
yond a shadow of doubt by facts and dates that 
are indisputable, it is unnecessary to dwell at 
great length. I can understand how this nris- 
take came to be, at first made, and have no 
harsh words to write of those, who, by their con- 
stant reiteration of this statement, as to their 
origin, have done the Baptists this great injus- 
tice. I presume the mistake grew out of the 
similarity of the names, Munzer and Munster. 
Though these names are of familiar sound, 



CORRECTING MISTAKES. 19 

there is no more relation between them, than 
there is between the light of the Sun at noon- 
day and that of a flaming torch at midnight. 
Munzer is the name of that heroic Baptist mar- 
tyr, who died at the hand of his persecutors in 
1525, by being cruelly beheaded. Munster was 
the city in Westphalia where the revolt, known 
as that of the "Mad Men of Munster," occurred 
in 1534, nine years after Thomas Munzer had 
heroically sealed his allegiance to Christ with 
his blood and had gone up along "The fiery 
pathway" to wear the martyr's crown and rest 
forever with angels and with God. 

It is true that those men of Munster commit- 
ted excesses, and indulged in practices — albeit 
they practiced immersion, even, as the Bap- 
tists have always done — for which no Baptist 
will apologize; but it must not be forgotten that 
they were men who had been driven to despera- 
tion by the conduct of their oppressors. Crushed 
beneath the iron heel of a despotism, as re- 
lentless and cruel as the world has ever known, 
it is scarcely to be wondered that those ignorant 
peasants would mistake lawlessness for liberty. 

The facts concerning that outbreak are, that 
the Baptists had nothing, whatever, to do with 
it; nor was there any act, save that they im- 
mersed those who joined them, that could 
afford the slightest ground for styling them 
Baptists, or even Anabaptists. Their principal 
leader was a Lutheran named "Rothman; and it 
is as unjust to refer the crimes and indecencies 
of Bothman and his followers to the Baptists 



20 THE PATHWAY OF FIRE. 

of those clays as it would be to blame the hand- 
ful of peaceable Baptists now seeking to do their 
Master's work in Cuba, for all the horrors and 
calamities that are now rending that unhappy 
island. Nor have I the least doubt but that 
if there were no source of information concern- 
ing the heroic efforts which those Cuban 
patriots are making for their freedom from the 
galling yoke of Spanish tyranny, save that which 
we would get through Spanish representa- 
tion, they would appear in a scarcely more fa- 
vorable light, than do those "Mad Men" who 
fought and bled and died at Munster. And 
who knows but that, when in the time to come> 
the search-light of truth, pure and simple, may 
be turned on that Munster affair, those same 
mad men may present as much the appearance 
of heroes as they do now of demons. 

No, kind reader. If you would find "the true 
origin of that sect called the Baptists" you must 
go back beyond the clays of Roger Williams, 
though we honor him for his devotion to soul 
liberty; back beyond the "Mad Men of Mun- 
ster," though I doubt if even they were as black 
as their enemies have painted them; back be- 
yond the days of Luther and Calvin and Knox, 
though the world should do honor to their 
name and memory for the noble stand they took 
and the mighty blows they struck in favor of an 
open Bible and a purer church; back beyond the 
blood-dyed valleys of Piedmont and Wale3,back 
beyond the millions who died a martyr's death 
and in chariots of literal fire went u^ to Glory 



CORRECTING MISTAKES. 21 

and to God — back beyond the decrees of kings, 
the bulls of Popes, the decisions of councils, 
and the thunderings of the Vatican — back, 
back along the pathway lighted by the altar 
fires of consecrated allegiance to Christ and his 
truth, as well as the glaring red torch from the 
martyr fires of persecution, nor stop till von 
reach that little upper room in the far away city 
of Jerusalem nineteen centuries ago, if yon 
would find the origin of that body of christians, 
now known to the whole world as the Baptist 
denomination. 

I cannot more appropriately close this chap- 
ter than by quoting the testimony of that prince 
of church historians, Dr. Mosheim, himself a 
Lutheran and professor of church history in 
the University of Gottingen, Germany. 

He says: "The true origin of that sect 
that derived the name Anabaptist from their 
administering anew the rite of baptism to such 
as came to them from the Roman Catholic 
church, is hidden in the remotest depths of an- 
tiquity; and is therefore, very difficult to deter- 
mine. Before the rise of Luther and Calvin, 
there lay concealed in nearly all the countries 
of Europe, particularly in Bohemia, Moravia, 
Switzerland and Germany an innumerable com- 
pany of persons who adhered tenaciously to the 
doctrines of the Dutch Baptists. They believed 
that the kingdom of Christ, or visible church 
which he established on the earth was an as- 
sembly of the true and real saints; and .ughty 
therefore, to be inaccessible to the wicked and 



22 THE PATHWAY OF FIRE. 

unrighteous and also exempt from all those 
institutions which human prudence suggests 
to oppose the progress of iniquity or to cor- 
rect and reform transgressors. McLean s, ±*. 
490. 

For this frank and truthful testimony of 
Mosheim to the ancient origin of the Baptists, 
he is entitled to the thanks of all lovers of truth- 
ful representation. At the same time we may 
find "the true origin of the Baptists" if we look 
for it in the right direction. To a study of that 
origin, I now invite the attention of the reader. 




THE PLACE OF STARTING. 23 



CHAPTER III. 
THE PLACE OF STARTING. 

" Out of Zion shall go forth the law and the Word of 
the Lord from Jerusalem." 

"Repentance and remission of sins shall be preached in 
my name, beginning at Jerusalem." 

In these two Scriptures we have clearly a 
prophesy and its fulfillment. The divine plan 
and purpose regarding the work of salvation 
is here unfolded. Seven hundred years before 
the angel's song announced to the Shepherds 
of Galilee the advent of the Son of God, Isaiah 
foretold that Jerusalem should be the place 
whence should go forth the Divine proclamation 
of Salvation. In the fullness of time, this 
prophesy was fulfilled. Christ came, and by 
his vicarious death made possible the Salva- 
tion of all the people. Then, as showing the 
oneness of the Divine purpose in the fulfillment 
of prophesy, he commanded his disciples to 
"Go into all the world and preach the gospel to 
every creature, beginning at Jerusalem." 

In the furtherence of this Divine purpose, 
and as a human means for carrying it out, 
Christ organized what he termed the church. 
To that church he gave certain doctrines, or- 
dinances and commands with positive instruc- 
tions that they were to be retained, practiced 
and obeyed, even until the end of time. Fur- 



24 THE PATHWAY OF FIRE. 

ther, that these doctrines and duties might be 
fully known and understood, he chose twelve 
men w T hom he kept under his direct teaching 
for three and a half years. And further still, 
that they might be rendered incapable of mis- 
take, he commanded them to tarry at Jerusalem 
till they should be endued with wisdom from on 
high. For ten days they did nothing but pray 
and wait for this Divine enduement. At the 
end of that time the Holy Spirit came down 
upon them in such wondrous power that they 
became completely under his Divine influence 
and control. 

Why was all this? The answer is plain. It 
was necessary to render them incapable of mis- 
take. In their methods, their teachings, their 
organizations, their doctrines and practices* 
those disciples were to stand as models for all 
coming time. What the} 7 were to preach was 
to form the theme of Gospel preaching, so long- 
as the world should stand. The plans and 
methods which they should adopt, were to be 
the plans and methods of the church so long as 
time should last. In the material of which 
their churches were composed, in the ordi- 
nances Christ had given, and the doctrines they 
should teach their churches, until the end of the 
dispensation were to constitute the Divinely 
given models by which all church work should 
be done. 

I desire to emphasize this important truth. 
It Ls too often overlooked and the idea allowed 
to prevail that certain latitude was given to the 



THE PLACE OF STARTING. 25 

church to change what Christ and his apostles 
commanded and practiced. This is a grievous 
error. Never, till "the end of the world" was 
the church to depart one iota from the plain in- 
structions given by Christ, or the doctrines and 
ordinances taught and practiced by the Apos- 
tles. In every respect, their churches were to 
represent the churches of Christ, until he should 
"come the second time, without sin unto Salva- 
tion." 

From that Divinely constructed model noth- 
ing was to be taken, to it nothing was to be 
added. 

All that is necessary, therefore, for us is to 
study those Divinely given models and "to make 
all things according to the pattern." And if 
Ave wish to know how far our work today is cor- 
rect or incorrect, we have only to compare it 
with the Divine model, and the matter is at once 
settled. 

Before we start on our journev into "the re- 
motest depths of antiquitv" in search of "the 
true origin of that sect, failed the Baptists," let 
ns take a photograph of the Baptist church os 
of todav, that we may the more easilv identify 
those of our brethren wherever we shall meet 
them in the a^es of long aoro. In other words, 
W us stndv brieflv the characteristics of the 
Bantist churches of to-dav, in their doctrines 
and orr!inanco«. compare them with those of the 
Apostolic churches and then see if we can trace 
the same characteristic principles and practi- 
ces, down through the intervening ages. 



26 THE PATHWAY OF FIRE. 

First — The Baptist churches are composed 
only of those who have repented of their sins, 
confessed Christ as a personal Savior and been 
immersed on the profession of their faith. 

Second. — The Baptists are in no sense a hier- 
archy. Each church is an independent local 
assembly of baptised believers. It is independ- 
ent of all other churches, democratic in its form 
of government, acknowledging no head but 
Christ, and no law but his word.* 

Third. — The Baptists accept nothing but the 
Bible as the only rule of faith and practice, and 
the sole arbiter in matters of religion. 

Fourth. — The Baptists practice as ordinances 
only the two positive commands of Christ; bap 
tism and the Lord's supper. The former con- 
sists of the immersion of a believer in water, in 
the name of the Trinity; the latter in partaking 
of simple bread and wine in token of the broken 
body and shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

To these may be added the fact that the Bap- 
tists do not trace their history to, nor have they, 
in any way, been connected with the church of 
Rome. They are not Protestants, in the sense 
of having come out of, or dating their origin 
from the Roman Catholic church. I have noth- 
ing but words of commendation for those illus- 
trious men who dared to defy the power of 
Rome and contend for an open Bible and a purer 



*It is an historical fact of which the Baptists may well he proud, that 
the Constitution of the United States, was framed after the model, found 
in a local Baptist church in the State of Virginia. 



$HE PLACE OF S^TARTlN(2. 27 

church Let the names of Luther and Cal- 
vin and Knox and Foster and Brown and Wes- 
ley and a host of others be enshrined in the most 
sacred archives of their church's history. It 
was not their fault that they were born and 
reared within the influence of a corrupt state 
church. Not their fault that their spiritual 
mother became so corrupt that they could no 
longer repose under the old roof-tree where they 
had been born and where they had been reared. 
But it is to their great honor on earth and wilt 
be to their glory in Heaven that they had the 
moral courage to break the chain with which 
they were bound, and step out into the clearer 
light of the gospel and to grasp the grand 
truth of Salvation by faith. 

But in this narrative I am dealing, not with 
sentiment, but with historical fact. If, then, 
God has been pleased to give the Baptists a still 
grander heritage, to him be all the glory. And 
that grander heritage he has given us. If it be 
honorable in the sight of God and men to pro- 
test against the corruption of a proud, perse- 
cuting,religious hierarchy, then,indeed may the 
Baptists claim the greater honor; for certain it 
is they have protested longer and protested 
louder than any of their brethren — yea, pro- 
tested, even to the death, for spiritual religion 
and a gospel church. The difference, however, 
is this. Their protests have all been made out- 
side of the church of Rome. Running parallel 
with her down the ages, there has been no age 
in which Rome has not met a protesting spirit 



28 THE PATHWAY OE FIRE. 

in those witnesses for the truth which the Bap^ 
tists of to-day claim as their fathers. 

How far and in what respect do the churches 
of the -New Testament compare in doctrine and 
practice with the Baptist churches of today? 
A careful examination will reveal the fact that, 
in all essential characteristics, the Apostolic 
churches were precisely the same as our mod- 
ern Baptist churches. 

First. — It is evident that among the Apostolic 
churches none were received into fellowship, 
except such as had professed faith in Christ as 
a personal Savior and gave evidence of genuine 
repentance from sin. This is so plain that it 
seems unnecessary to discuss it. On the day of 
Penticost when the Holy Spirit had convicted 
the multitude of sin, and they asked what they 
should do, Peter struck the keynote of the Gos- 
pel. "Repent and be baptised every one of 
you." "Then they that gladly received the 
word were baptised." When "Philip went 
down to the City of Samaria and preached 
Christ unto them," we are told that "When they 
believed Philip's preaching * * * * they were 
baptised, both men and women." When the 
Ethiopian Eunich asked baptism at the hands 
of this same evangelist, the answer was: "If 
thou believest with all thy heart, thou mayest." 

The same rule was observed all through the 
apostolic age. Wherever they preached, wher- 
ever they organized a church, the theme of their 
preaching was repentance from sin and 
faith in Christ; to be followed immediately by 



THE PLACE OF STARTING. 29 

immersion and membership in the church. In 
support of this, the reader is referred to the tes- 
timony of Neander, Mosheim, and all other 
church historians, who have written of that 
early age. All testify to the fact, so plainly self- 
evident, that the apostolic churches were com- 
posed only of those who had been baptised on 
the profession of their faith. 

Nor is it less plain that, in the second char- 
acteristic, the New Testament churches were 
similar to modern Baptist churches. Each 
church was an independent, local assembly of 
baptised believers. 

It has become customary to speak of each re- 
ligious denomination as a church. As for in- 
stance, the Baptist church, the Methodist 
church, etc. While this is allowable, it must 
be remembered that it is only the modern, not 
the New Testament signification of the term; 
and it was not so used or understood in the 
apostolic churches. 

Those churches were the farthest possible re^ 
moved from anything like a religious hierarchy. 
Each church was independent of all other 
churches. Hence, when the inspired writer 
would speak of the whole body of christians, he 
would use the plural form, "churches;" as for 
instance, "Hear what the Spirit saith unto the 
churches," "The seven churches of Asia," "Then 
had the churches rest, and, walking in the fear 
of the Lord, were edified." 

When writing to or of the brethren in a cer- 
tain locality, the singular is used, as the church 



30 THE PATHWAY OF FIRE. 

at Corinth, the church at Philippi, the church at 
Rome, the church at Ephesus — just as the Bap- 
tists of to-day have the church at Cleveland, 
the church at Knoxville; the local church of any 
other single locality — or the Baptist churches 
of Tennessee or of the United States. As the 
historian, Dean Waddington, so tersely puts it, 
"Every church was essentially independent of 
every other." They acknowledged no head but 
Christ, and no law but his word. 

Third. — Allegiance to Christ and his law, was 
another grand characteristic of the New Testa- 
ment, as it is, and has been of the Baptist 
churches. When Peter uttered that brief com- 
pendium of New Testament church faith, 
"Whether it be right to obey God, rather than 
.iianjudgeyejfor we cannot but speak the things 
that we have heard and seen," he laid down the 
fundamental principal of law, by which the true 
churches of Jesus Christ have been governed 
in all ages, from the first church at Jerusalem, 
till the present day. 

Fourth. — In their officers the New Testament 
churches w T ere also similar to our modern Bap- 
tists. Their officers were simply Pastors, or 
bishops and deacons. A single reference to 
Acts 20th will show that the office of elder and 
that of bishop were one and the same. We read 
there that "Paul sent to Ephesus and called the 
elders of the church." When they arrived he 
addressed them as "overseers." These words 
in the original are the same words we have 
translated elders and bishops. Mosheim, in his 



THE PLACE OF STARTING. 31 

church history,is very careful to warn us against 
confounding the bishops of the present day 
with the simple pastors of the churches in the 
apostolic days. The former, he says, was only 
the pastor of a single church in which he acted 
more the part of a servant than that of the mas- 
ter. 

Fifth. — In their ordinances the churches of 
the New Testament were precisely similar to 
our modern Baptist churches. They were the 
same in their subjects. They were such as pro- 
fessed faith in Christ. They were the same in 
the act of baptism. It was the immersion of a 
believer in water. They were the same in their 
observance of the Lord's supper. This was, to 
ouote Mosheim, "The communion of the faith- 
ful." Simply partaking of bread and wine, in 
commemoration of Christ. 

Nothing could be more simple than the obser- 
vance of Christ's ordinances by the New Testa- 
ment churches. In the simplest manner pos- 
sible, they carried out their dear Lord's commis- 
sion to "Go teach nil nations, baptising them in 
the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, 
teaching them to observe all things, what- 
soever I have comanded yon." 

As this is the point a round which centers the 
greatest controversy, I will pause here to intro- 
duce a chapter of testimony, in proof of the po* 
sitions I have taken, as to the characteristics of 
the New Testament churches. 



32 THE PATHWAY OF FIRE. 



CHAPTER IV. 

A CHAPTEK OF TESTIMONY. 
"Ye are my witnesses saith the Lord." 

In the last chapter we considered the various 
charact eristics 1 of the New Testament churches 
and their perfect resemblance to those of mod- 
ern Baptists. In this chapter we shall present 
a mass of testimony in proof of our position as 
to those characteristics. 

These points of resemblance refer to 
their membership, their church polity 
and government, t . h e i r allegiance to 
Christ and his word, their officers and their or- 
dinances. Without taking the trouble to group 
each separate testimony under its respective 
head, I will present the whole mass of evidence 
that the reader can see how strongly our posi 
tion is fortified. This testimonv, to any fair 
minded reader, cannot fail to be convincing. 
Indeed, to anyone honestly, and carefully ex- 
amining the New Testament, this testimony 
will be superflous; but as many people look for 
human testimony to affirm Divine records, I 
give it. The authorities can be consulted by 
the reader if he so desires. 

Let us first introduce the testimony of c Lurch 
historians on these points of similarity between 
the present Baptist and apostolic churches. 



A CHAPTER OF TESTIMONY. 33 

Neander, on the subject of baptism says: 
"Baptism was administered, at first, only to 
adults as men were accustomed to conceive bap- 
tism and faith as strictly connected.'' As to 
the mode, he says, "Baptism was originally ad- 
ministered by immersion; and many of the com- 
parisons of St. Paul allude to this form of ad- 
ministration. Immersion is a symbol of being 
buried with Christ and coming forth from the 
water, a symbol of resurrection with Christ." 

Bishop Taylor: — "There is no pretense of tra- 
dition that the church in all ages baptised in- 
fants." 

Salmacius Suicerus: — "In the first two 
centuries no one was baptised except being in- 
structed in the faith and acquainted with the 
doctrines of Christ, he was able to profess him- 
self a believer." 

M. De. La. Boque: — "The primitive church 
did not baptise infants." 

Mosheim. First century — "The sacrament 
of baptism was administered in this century 
without the public assembly, in rdaces 
appointed and prepared for the purpose and 
was performed by the immersion of the whole 
body in the baptismal font." 

Second century. — "The sacrament of bap- 
tism was administered publicly twice a year, at 
Easter and Whitsuntide. The persons that 
were to be baptised, after they had repeated the 
creed, confessed and renounced their sins, and 
particularly the devil and his pompous allure- 
ments were immersed under water and received 



oi THE PATHWAY OF FIRE. 

into Christ's Kingdom by a solemn invocation 
of Father, Son and Holy Ghost, according to 
the express command of our blessed Lord." 

Dean Waddington. — "The ceremony of im- 
mersion, the oldest form of baptism, Avas per- 
formed in the name of the three persons of the 
Trinity/' 

Cave. — "The party to be baptised was wholly 
immerged or put under water, which was the 
almost constant and universal custom of those 
times." 

Bishop Taylor. — "The custom of the ancient 
church w^as not sprinkling but immersion; in 
pursuance of the sense of the word (baptise) 
and the commandment and example of our bles- 
sed Savior." 

Bossuet. — "We read not in the Scriptures 
that baptism was otherwise (than by immer- 
sion) administered; and we are able to 
make it appear by the acts of councils, and by 
the ancient rituals, that, for thirteen hundred 
years, baptism was thus udministered, through- 
out the whole church as far as possible." 

Dr. Wall. — "Their (the primitive christian's) 
general and ordinary way Avas to baptise by im- 
mersion. This is so plain and clear, by an infi- 
nite number of passages, that as we cannot 
but pity the weak endeavors of such Pedobap- 
tists, as would maintain the negative of it, so 
also we ought to disown and show a dislike for 
the profane scoffs of the English Antipedobap- 
tists, merely for their use of dipping. It was 
in all probability, the way in which our blessed 



A CHAPTER OF TESTIMONY. 35 

Savior, and for certain was the most usual and 
ordinary way by which the ancient christians 
did receive their baptism. As for sprinkling, 
I say, as Mr. Blake, at its first coming up in 
England, let them defend it who use it." 

Dr. Philip Schaff. — As to the mode of bap- 
tism says: "It is unquestionably the fact, that 
the mode of baptism in the apostles' days was 
by immersion." 

Of the government and officers of the primi- 
tive churches, these historians give the follow- 
ing testimony: 

Waddington. — "In the earliest government 
of the first christian society, that of Jerusalem, 
not the elders only, but the whole church were 
associated with the apostles; and it is even cer- 
tain that the terms bishop and elder, or presby- 
ter, were in the first instance, and for a short 
period, sometimes used synonimously, and in- 
discriminately applied to the same order in the 
ministry." — History, Page 41. 

Again — the same author — "The churches 
thus constituted and regulated, formed a sort 
of federative body of independent religious com- 
munities, dispersed through the greater part of 
the empire, in continual communication and 
constant harmony with each other." 

Mosheiin. — "The churches of those early 
times were entirely independent of one another, 
none of them being subject to any foreign juris- 
diction, but each governed by its own rules and 
its own laws; for though the churches founded 
by the apostles had this particular deference 



36 THE PATHWAY OF FIRE. 

shown them, that they were consulted in diffi- 
cult and doubtful cases, yet they hr.d no judi- 
cial authority, no sort of supremacy over others,, 
nor the least right to make laws for them. 
Nothing on the contrary, is more evident than 
the perfect equality of those primitive 
churches." 

On the officers of the church the same author 
says: "Let no man confound the bishops of 
this primitive and golden period of the church 
with those of whom we read in the following 
ages; for though they were both distinguished 
by the same name, yet they differed in many 
respects. A bishop during the first and second 
centuries was the person who had the care of 
one christian assembly, which, at that time, 
was, generally speaking, small enough to be 
contained in a private house. In this assem- 
bly he acted, not so much with the authority 
of master as with the zeal and diligence of a 
faithful servant." 

Similar is the testimony of Gibbon.: — 
"Such was the mild and equable consti- 
tution by which the christians were governed 
for more than a hundred years after the death 
of the apostles. Every society formed within 
itself a separate and independent republic ; and 
although the most distant of those little states 
maintained a mutual as well as friendly inter- 
course of letters and deputations, the christian 
world was not yet connected by any supreme 
authority or legislative assembly." 

Similar testimony is borne by Coleman, Ne- 



A CHAPTER OF TESTIMONY. 37 

ander and Archbishop Whately. Who can fail 
to see in these descriptions a perfect photo- 
graph of the Baptist churches of the nineteenth 
century. 

Of eminent commentators and other Pedo- 
baptist scholars and writers, we have the fol- 
lowing: 

Doctor Bunson. — a Pedobaptism in the more 
modern sense, meaning thereby the baptism of 
infants with the vicarious promises of parents 
and ot'her sponsors, was utterly unknown to 
the early church, not only down to the end of 
the second but even to the middle of the third 
centurv." 

North British Beview. — "Scripture knows 
nothing of the baptism of infants. There is 
absolutely not a single trace of it to be found in 
the New Testament/' 

Prof. Jacobie. — University of Berlin. — "In- 
fant baptism was established neither by Christ 
nor his apostles." 

Prof. Moses Stewart, Andover. — "There are 
no commands or plain and certain examples 
in the New Test amen for the baptism of 
infants." 

Bev. Dr. Woods. — "We have no express pre- 
cept or example for infant baptism in 
all the holy writings." 

Dr. August i, of immersion says: — "I know 
of no usage of ancient times which seems to be 
more clearly and certainly made out. I cannot 
see how it is possible for any candid man, who 
examines the subject to deny this." 



38 THE PATHWAY OF FIKE. 

Beza. — "Christ commanded us to be baptised,, 
by which word it is certain immersion is signi- 
fied. To be baptised in water signifies no other 
than to be immersed in water." 

Whitfield, on Romans 6:4. — "It is certain 
that in the words of our text, there is 
allusion to the ancient manner of baptism 
which w r as by immersion." 

Calvin, on John 3:23 and Acts 8:28.— "From 
these words it may be inferred that baptism 
was administered by John and Christ by plung- 
ing the body under water." 

J. G. Vossius. — "That the Apostles immersed 
whom they baptised, there is no doubt ;and that 
the ancient church followed this custom is 
clearly evinced by innumerable testimonies of 
the fathers." 

Dr. Moses Stewart. — "Bapto, baptiso mean 
tu dip, to immerse. All lexicographers and 
critics of any note are agreed on this." 

Martin Luther. — "Baptism is a Greek w r ord 
and may be translated immersion as when we 
immerse something in water that it nay be 
completely covered." 

Dr. Robert Newton. — "Baptism was origi- 
nally performed. by immersion or dipping the 
whole body under water to represent the death, 
burial and resurrection of Christ, and to signify 
the person's own dying to sin and his resurrec- 
tion to a new life." 

Rev. Dr. Whitby. — "It being so expressly de- 
clared here," Romans 6:4, "that we are buried 
w T ith Christ in Baptism by being buried under 



A CHAPTER OF TESTIMONY. 30 

water and the argument to oblige us to a con- 
formity to Ms death being taken hence, and this 
immersion being religiously observed by all 
christians for thirteen centuries, it were to be 
wished that this custom might be again of gen- 
eral use. 1 ' 

Connybare and Howson, on Romans 6:4. — 
"This passage cannot be understood unless it be 
borne in mind that the primitive baptism was 
by immersion." 

Dr. Philij) Doddridge, on same. — "It seems 
the part of candor to confess that here is an 
allusion to the ancient manner of baptising by 
immersion." 

John Wesley, same.— "Alluding to the ancient 
manner of baptising by immersion." In 
the old editions of Wesley's journal may be 
found this entry under date of February 21, 
173(3. "Mary Welsh, aged eleven, was baptised 
according to the custom of the first church and 
the rule of the Church of England by immer- 
sion." 

Dr. Chalmers. — "The original meaning of the 
word baptism is immersion; and though we re- 
gard it as a matter of indifference whether the 
ordinance so named be so administered or by 
sprinkling, we doubt not the prevalent style of 
administration in the apostles' days was by 
the actual submerging of the w^hole body under 
water." 

The late Dr. Charles Anthon, Professor in 
Columbia eollege,Xew York,had the reputation 
of being the best Greek scholar in America. 



40 THE PATHWAY OF FIRE. 

On one occasion Eev. Dr. Spring made the state- 
ment in public that "baptiso" — the Greek word 
transferred to our King James' version — signi- 
fies to sprinkle and pour. A hearer who heard 
the statement wrote to Dr. Anthon asking if the 
statement were true. The following is Dr. An- 
thon's answer. — "There is no authority what- 
ever for the singular remark of the Kev. Dr. 
Spring relative to the force of baptiso. The 
primary meaning of the w r ord is to dip, to im- 
merse; and its secondary meaning, if ever it had 
any, all refer in some way or another to the 
same leading idea. Sprinkling and pouring 
are entirely out of the question." 

Of the early Fathers, we have Justin Martyr, 
Tertullian, Gregory Nazianzen, Cryal of Jerusa- 
lem and the "Golden-mouthed Crysostom;" all 
bearing testimony to the same facts concerning 
the New Testament churches. 

Then there is another class of witnesses who 
have testified on this question. Where shall 
we look for the true meaning of words, if 
not to the lexicons of the language to which the 
word belongs? For the meaning of a French 
word we go to a French lexicon. If it be an 
English, Spanish, or German word, to an 
English, Spanish or German lexicon. Baptiso 
is a Greek word, not translated, but simply 
transferred in our English Testament, and 
spelled in English letters. On its meaning I 
have personally consulted Liddell and 
Scott, Grove, Robinson, Bass, Picker- 
ir.g, Greenfield and Britschneider. These are 



A CHAPTER OF TESTIMONY. 41 

all standard lexicons and all give the meaning 
of Baptise, to dip, to plunge, to submerge, to 
overwhelm. Dr. Stewart said truly: "All 
lexicographers and critics of any note are 
agreed on this/ 7 that the ancient baptism was 
by immersion. 

Now, if we except Tertullian, whom some 
Baptist writers claim, with good show of rea- 
son, as a Baptist in his belief and practice, none 
of the above mass of testimony is from Baptist 
sources. It is from beginning to end, the testi- 
mony of learned Pedobaptists who valued their 
scholarship too highly to misrepresent the 
truth. I have deemed it best to leave out of 
this history purely Baptist testimony and con- 
fine myself to that furnished by Pedobaptists. 
Those authors here quoted are among the 
brightest lights to be found in the Episcopal, 
Presbyterian, Lutheran, Congregational, and 
Methodist churches. I mean, of course, aside 
from the Fathers and those who lived and wrote 
long before the dawn of the reformation. 

If any further proof is needed, it is found in 
the remains of ancient baptisteries still stand- 
ing, thu paintings and bas-reliefs, which as 
though kept by Divine power for that purpose, 
still stand, as ever-enduring witnesses to the 
methods and practices of Christ's ancient 
churches. 

Here, then, I claim, we have found "the true 
origin of that sect," which in the fullness of 
time became known as the Baptist denomina- 
tion. I ask the reader to take these statements 



42 THE PATHWAY OF FIRE. 

a:il testimonies, and compare them with the 
inspired records of those early New Testament 
churches and he will not only be convinced that 
the testimonies are true but he will admit that 
every feature in the photograph of the nine- 
teenth century Baptists is clearly brought out 
and reproduced in the churches of the New Tes- 
tament times. 

From those churches, then, as a starting point 
I ask him to follow me along that "Pathway of 
Fire," as we trace the history of the people 
holding the same principles, believing the same 
doctrines, and keeping the ordinances as they 
were delivered, from the days of the apostles. 
down to the present. 




CONTENDING FOR THE FAITH. 4& 



CHAPTEE V. 

CONTENDING FOE THE FAITH. 



"It was needful for me to write you, and exhort you, that you should 
contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints." 

In the present chapter we shall endeavor to 
explain the causes that led up to the final sepa- 
ration of the early christians into two great 
bodies, the one going off farther and farther 
from the truth, until it finally resulted in the 
great apostasy and the development of the 
"man of sin," so clearly foretold by Paul; the 
other pursuing the straight, gospel course 
though it proved to them a "Pathway of Fire," 
leading to persecution, to suffering and martyr- 
dom; but which resulted in giving to the gener- 
ations following that priceless treasure, for 
which there is no standard of value, freedom to 
worship God. 

Just here arises a most important question. 
A question which the student must answer be- 
fore he can rightly appreciate the narrative 
which will here follow. It is this: In that 
great separation which gave to the world two 
such opposite religious bodies, which was right 
and which was wrong? To this question I 
shall give no specific answer, but shall leave 
the reader to render his own answer from a. 



44 THE PATHWAY OF FIRE. 

careful study of the facts as I shall give them. 
I have no doubt, whatever, of the decision of 
every unprejudiced reader, satisfied not only 
that he will acquit those early Baptists of all 
wrong doing, but that he w T ill thank God for 
that patience and courage which led them to go 
to their death rather than surrender their God- 
given right to worship God according to the 
dictates of his word. 

If the reader will glance at the Scripture text 
with which, this chapter is headed, he will see 
that even in Jude's time, he saw the cloud rising 
and found it necessary to exhort the brethren 
■"to contend earnest!^ for the faith." If now 
he will turn to Paul's Epistles to the Romans, 
Galaftians and Thessalonians he will see how 
anxious Paul was as he scanned the religious 
sky and marked the indications of the approach- 
ing storm. Standing between Judaism on the 
one hand and Paganism on the other, and draw- 
ing its members from both of these great sys- 
tems, what wor.der if at a very early period, the 
church should find herself confronted with 
those errors and abuses so directly opposed to 
the simplicity of the gospel of Christ. Their 
fears were well grounded, for scarcely had the 
apostles closed their life work and sealed their 
testimony with a martyr's death when those 
errors and corruptions which they so clearly 
foresaw began to manifest themselves. 

Those errors and corruptions were princi- 
pally, from three sources. First. — The introduc- 
tion into their worship of forms and ceremonies 



CONTENDING FOR THE FAITH. 45. 

not authorized by Christ and his apostles. Ju- 
daism sought to combine with the simple meth- 
ods of the gospel, the forms and ceremonies 
of the old Mosaic ritual. See Acts 15th. Pa- 
ganism sought to largely replace the simple act 
of repentance and faith as a means of salvation 
with the vain show, the gorgeous ritualism, and 
sensous practices of Pagan worship, and add 
to the simple doctrines of the cross, the mysti- 
cism and crude generalities of their heathen 
philosophy. 

Second. — The laxity of their discipline and 
the carelessness of many receiving unconverted 
and unworthy members into the church. At 
the first none were admitted but such as gave 
clear and unmistakable evidence of a genuine 
change of heart. Then the religion of Christ 
was unpopular. To be a christian at the first 
was to deny one's self and take up his cross 
and follow his Savior, largely through evil re- 
port. But when the opposition had subsided 
and Christianity had come to either bask in the 
smiles or rest under the toleration of worldly 
power, it became popular to profess to be a 
christian; and many unconverted people from 
unworthy motives sought admission into the 
church. To such members the gorgeous wor- 
ship and vain philosophy would be more ac- 
ceptable than the simple faith and forms of the 
gospel, and resulted still more in narrowing the 
once clearly defined line between the church 
and the world. 

Third. — The tendency to centralization of 



46 THE PATHWAY OF FIRE. 

power by which the churches and pastors of 
the larger cities, especially Kome, Byzantium 
and Carthage, arrogated to themselves, power 
and control that was never intended by Christ, 
and w T hich formed no place in the early consti- 
tution of the churches. This increased more 
and more; the other churches and bishops yield- 
ing to the power and control of Eome until in 
606 the prediction of Paul was fulfilled in the 
impious act of making Eome the head of the 
church universal, and her bishop the universal 
bishop, or the Pope, and declaring him to be 
Christ's vice-gerent on earth with power to 
control in Christ's room and stead. 

It was these innovations and corruptions 
which the more spiritual part of the churches, 
remembering the admonitions and warnings of 
the apostles, so strongly opposed. They 
sought earnestly to stem the tide that they 
clearly saw, if allowed to flow, would ere long 
sweep away the simplicity and purity and spir- 
itual poAver of the religion of the cross. And 
it was these causes — this determination of the 
one party to maintain and perpetuate these 
innovations, and that of the other to maintain 
the purity, discipline and spirituality of the 
church that resulted in the final separation and 
perpetuating through the ages two great parties 
of religionists — the one with its power and 
wealth, its prejudices and persecutions, its 
gorgeous ritualism, and unholy practices, and 
the other with its simplicity and its weakness, 
its faithfullness and its sufferings, and its final 



CONTENDING FOR THE FAITH. 47 

triumph in preserving to the world a pure and 
simple gospel Christianity, just as it came from 
the hands of Christ and his apostles. With 
this simple statement of facts before him, I ask 
every intelligent reader: "Which was right and 
which was wrong?" 

It will be readily understood, however, that 
these innovations and corruptions did not come 
into the churches all at once;nor did they affect 
all churches in all sections equally at the same 
time. All this was of slow growth. The inhe- 
rent simplicity and purity of the early churches 
combined with the earnest efforts of that class 
who opposed those corruptions formed a resist- 
ing influence which long stemmed the tide of 
corruption and made its progress slow. By the 
year 150 their influence had become such as to 
awaken the apprehension of many and cause 
them to sound the alarm. About this period 
there arose one, Montanus, who by his elo- 
quence and virtue, the simplicity of his doc- 
trines and the purity of his life wielded a 
mighty influence stemming the tide of corrup- 
tion in the churches. Montanus had a large 
following of members, but so far as I can learn, 
there was no actual separation at this early pe- 
riod. Several writers claim Montanus and 
his followers as Baptists. The truth is, I think, 
that they were Baptists in the same sense in 
which all the churches of the first and part of 
the second centuries were Baptists. Provi- 
dence had not yet indicated the point 
of separation; and Montanus and his foi- 



48 THE PATHWAY OF FIRE. 

lowers may be said to represent, not a separate 
denomination, bnt the better and more evangel- 
ical part of the professed christians, who had 
not yet so far progressed in corrupting Chris- 
tianity as to make an actual separation neces- 
sary. 

Still Montanus clearly saw the drift of events 
and put forth heroic efforts to stem the tide 
of corruption. Such was his influence and pop- 
ularity and so numerous were his followers that 
though imperial decrees were passed against 
him, they could not be executed. 

A hundred years later, however, the point 
of separation had been reached, and Providence 
clearly marked out the way. This leads us to 
consider the direct or immediate cause of the 
final separation. It is claimed by several 
church historians that the cause of separation 
was the election of a bishop. This is only half 
the truth. The destruction of a ship load of 
tea in Boston harbor is said to have caused the 
American revolution. True; but what led up 
to the destruction of the tea? We must go 
back of that act, and answer this question, if we 
get at the real cause of the great struggle for 
American independence. So, we must go 
back of that election in Rome in 254 if we would 
find the real cause of the separation referred to. 
It will be found in the growing corruption in 
the latter part of the second and during the 
third centuries. As God undoubtedly raised 
up Washington and others to lead the oppressed 
colonists of America to national freedom, so he 



CONTENDING FOR THE FAITH. 49 

raised up men and qualified and called them to 
the work of maintaining and perpetuating the 
pure doctrines and practices of the apostolic 
churches. 

In the early part of the third century there 
was converted at Koine, a pagan philosopher 
named Novatian. A man of such extensive 
learning and erudition that Neander classes 
him among the foremost writers of his age. 
Was JSovatian a christian? I answer — if a 
deep and pungent conviction of sin, a clear ap- 
prehension and acceptance of Christ as a perso- 
nal Savior, a life of self-sacrifice and consecra- 
ted service and a faith and devotion that will 
lead a man to endure martyrdom rather than 
surrender his allegiance to his Savior, are evi- 
dences of the genuineness of a person's Chris- 
tianity, then Novatian was a christian. 

Novatian saw the advancing tide of corrup- 
tion that was destroying the spiritual life of the 
churches,and led by the spirit of God,heresolved 
to stem it at all hazards. In this he was sup- 
ported by thousands who had long seen and 
mourned over this sad condition of Christ's 
kingdom. Meantime the reception of uncon- 
verted members, the laxity of discipline, and the 
constant relapses of apostates back to Pagan- 
ism, in time of persecution, with their return to 
the church as soon as the storm blew over, con- 
tinued. 

I quote from Gibbon: "In every persecution 
there were great numbers of unworthy Chris- 
tians who publicly renounced their faith, and 



50 THE PATHWAY OF FIRE. 

who confirmed the sincerity of their abjuration 
by the legal act of offering sacrifice to the 
Pagan deities. As soon as the severity of the 
storm was abated, the doors of the churches 
were assailed by the returning multitude, who 
solicited with equal ardor, but with varying 
success, their re-admission into the the Society 
of Christians." 

Add to this the growing centralization of 
power, the multiplication of sensual forms 
and ceremonies, and we have the real cause 
which, about the year 254, resulted in that final 
separation between those who maintained the 
simple apostolic doctrines and practices, on the 
one hand, and those who proposed to follow in 
the path of corruption, with its vain ceremonies, 
its unworthy and unconverted members, and its 
gorgeous ritualism and worldly grandeur on the 
other. And when that portion of the churches 
put forward one Cornelius as the representa- 
tive of their principles, and elected him bishop 
of Koine — those devoted Christians who fol- 
lowed the lead of Novatian said in substance: 
"You may do this, and thus persist in your apos- 
tasy, but for us we stand on, and by the simple 
doctrines and practices of the Gospel, as given 
to us by Christ and his apostles." Those world- 
ly minded members persisted. Cornelius was 
elected, and thus was taken another step in the 
development of the great apostasy, which in 
later years became "The Scarlet Woman" of Kev- 
elation, who became "Drunk with the blood of 
Saints, and the blood of the martyrs of Jesus." 



CONTENDING FOR THE FAITH. 51 

Once more I ask, which was right and which 
was wrong? 

One of the first acts of the Novatian churches 
was to renounce all intercourse with those 
churches that they claimed to be apostate, and 
to refuse to recognize their baptism. They 
adopted terms of admission into their churches, 
one of which was as follows : "If you be a vir- 
tuous believer and will accede to our confederacy 
against sin, you may be admitted among us 
by baptism; or, if a Catholic has baptized you, 
by re-baptism." For this reason they were 
called "Anabaptists, or re-baptisers," a name 
which clung to them and their descendents un- 
til 1576 on the Continent, and 1690 in Great 
Britain, following them, indeed , to America. 

"For sixty years those Novatian churches 
prospered under a Pagan government," so that 
when Constantine came to the throne in 306, he 
found churches of that faith and order all over 
Italy and other parts of his dominions. One 
of the first acts of this emperor was to try to 
unite theNovatians and Catholics into one great 
state church; but those Baptists, true in their 
allegiance to Christ and his gospel, refused to 
join in any such unholy alliance. Finding 
these efforts in vain, Constantine changed his 
attitude towards them, and inaugurated a most 
bitter and bloody persecution. Their places of 
worship were destroyed and their writings 
burned. Their pastors were imprisoned and 
some of them put to death. The result was, 
that, like the persecution at Jerusalem, they 



52 THE PATHWAY OP PIKE. 

became scattered abroad. Some took refuge in 
France, and carried the gospel with them. 
Others settled in the valleys of the Piedmont 
where they afterwards became known as the 
Yoidois or dwellers of the valleys. Still others 
remained in Italy, hiding from persecution till 
the storm blew over, so that they may be traced 
in that country till about 575 when they are 
lost to sight under the name of the Novatians, 
only to re-appear' later on under other names 
but still contending for the same doctrines and 
principles and maintaining the same relations 
to the churches of the New Testament. 

Were those Novatian churches Baptist 
churches? I answer if the photograph which I 
have already presented represents the Baptists 
of to-day, then, in all essential characteristics 
the Novatians were Baptists; for having due 
reference to the age in which they lived and 
to the manner and customs of the people, the 
world has come to give them credit for bearing 
a clear cut likeness to the churches of the apos- 
tolic age. 

Among the many testimonies which I have 
at hand concerning those Novatian christians 
I present but one. It is that of Dean Wadding- 
ton who, in his church history, says of them, 
"They were stigmatized at the time, both as 
scismatics and heretics, but they may, perhaps, 
be more properly considered as the earliest 
body of ecclesiastical reformers. They arose 
about the year 250 and subsisted until the fifth 
century throughout every part of Christendom." 



CONTENDING FOR THE FAITH. 53 

From the disruption of the churches in Italy, 
let us turn to that of the churches in Africa. 
In consequence of being further removed from 
Rome and the influences there, it took longer 
for the abomination to work among the Afri- 
cans, than among the Italians. It was not until 
about the beginning of the fourth century, that 
the final disruption took place in Africa. Here, 
too, opposing writers have sought to make it 
appear that the whole cause of controversy, 
was the election of the Bishop of Carthage, 
without consulting the Suanidian churches. 
This does the Donatist Christians great injus- 
tice. It was not the election, but the man and 
the practices, against which they protested. 

Cecilian was not only an apostate, but a 
traitor. When Diocletian demanded that all 
the scriptures and church records should be giv- 
en up for destruction, Cecilian, who had them 
in charge at Carthage, surrendered them to be 
burned. Against this act an immense number 
of Christians in Numidia protested; not so 
much, indeed, against the single act, as against 
the fearful corruptions of which that act was 
the representative. They refused all inter- 
course with those churches that had become so 
corrupt, and, in Africa, the separation was also 
complete. 

Here, also, we see the hand of God, in raising 
up men to work out His divine purpose. 
. When the necessity arose, God had a man 
for the place. A man of deep learning, of great 
purity of life, of burning zeal and firey elo- 



54 THE PATHWAY OF FIRE. 

quence, and a man mighty in the Scriptures. 
Such was the man whom his followers called 
"Donatus the Great." Like some mighty rock 
he stood in defiance of the advancing wave of 
corruption, and when it swept on, it left him 
and his mighty host of followers, standing still 
firm and true to the principles, doctrines and 
practices of the churches of the New Testament. 

Such was the influence of this Baptist and his 
followers, that, in spite of the opposition of the 
corrupt party, and the ban of emperors, in a 
few years, the Donatists had churches all over 
Africa, until Augustine complained that the 
Catholic churches were deserted, and no candi- 
dates for their pulpits could be found. On one 
occasion they held a conference of pastors, in 
which 270, and on another 410 Donatist pas- 
tors assembled together. It was largely their 
influence and numbers that induced Constan- 
tine, when he took the throne, to make the ef- 
fort to unite them and the Novatians, with the 
Catholics, into one great state church. But 
those true-hearted Christians, like their breth- 
ren in Italy, refused to enter into any such alli- 
ance. To all the overtures of Constantine, they 
only answered, "What has the Emperor to do 
with religion; what have Christians to do at 
court?" 

Like the Novatians, they refused to recog- 
nize the baptism of the Catholics, for which 
they, also, were made to bear the reproachful 
name of Anabaptists, or rebaptisers. 

Like the Novatians, the Donatists were made 



CONTENDING FOR THE FAITH. 55 

to bear the heavy rod of Constantine's persecu- 
tion. They were scattered — driven from their 
homes — forced into exile. Their church prop- 
erty was destroyed; their pastors banished, im- 
prisoned, or put to death, and their names cast 
out as evil. But their torch never went out. 
Lighted at the altar fires of a pure gospel faith, 
neither the scorn of an apostate hierarchy, the 
smiles of emperors, nor the flames of martyr- 
dom could extinguish it. Wherever driven to 
find a refuge, they carried thence the pure doc- 
trines of the cross — and ere long, its beacon 
fires were seen shining amid the surrounding 
darkness, so that long ere their pure pospel 
light had become extinguished in Africa, in 750 
its bright beams had arisen in many of the dark- 
ened places of Europe and Asia. It was then 
that was enacted that scene so graphically de- 
scribed in Eevelation, where "The woman fled 
into the wilderness, to a place prepared for her 
of God," to which, with other passages referring 
to the same period, and the same people, I shall 
ask the attention of the reader in the next 
chapter. 



56 THE PATHWAY OF FIRE. 



CHAPTER VI. 

THE WILDEENESS WAY. 

"And the woman fled into the wilderness where she hath a place prepared 
for her of God." 

In the last chapter we brought the history of 
our principles down to 575 in Italy, and 750 in 
Africa. Under the name of Novatians we 
traced them in the former, and under that of 
Donatists in the latter country. We saw them 
persecuted, banished and scattered, but still 
firm in their allegiance to Christ, and a pure 
Gospel, taking their wilderness way, with a for- 
titude and heroism, such as the world seldom 
witnesses. 

It was during this persecution, or about 316, 
that one Leo, a Christian pastor, took refuge 
in the valley of Piedmont, when driven from 
Rome, and it is to him that Archbishop Seysell 
attributes the rise of the Waldenses. If we 
accept this as true, we can, at one step, come 
down the pathway a thousand years, and find 
our people, but we prefer to follow a longer 
path, and have a surer road. 

The book of Revelation is a wonderful book. 
There is much of it that I do not understand, 
and to learn which I will gladly sit at the feet of 
any who can teach me. 

There is some of it, however, that refers so 



THE WILDERNESS WAY. 57 

plainly to the history that we are now r tracing, 
that it is impossible for the careful student to 
fail to recognize it. Let us study some of these 
passages. 

Turn to Revelation, eleventh chapter, and 
read the first four verses. Here we have "The 
Temple, and altar, and them that worship 
therein; that is the true church, with its 
members, and its worship, measured or tested, 
to see if they come up to the standard, and can 
be relied on when the time of trial comes. "But 
the court, which is without the Temple" — that 
is the false professors, those who are Christians 
in name only, it is useless to measure, for when 
the testing time comes they will fail. Nothing 
short of a Christian in deed and in truth, will 
stand, during those forty and two months, in 
which the holy city — the true Christians — are 
to be persecuted and trodden under foot. Forty 
and two months, of thirty days each, gives us 
twelve hundred and sixty days, during which 
this treading is to continue. Turn now to Eze- 
kiel 46, and to Numbers 14:34, and you will 
find that a symbolic day means a literal year; 
giving 1260 years as the literal period in which 
the true church is to be trodden under foot and 
persecuted. 

"And I will give power unto my two wit- 
nesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two 
hundred and three score days, clothed in sack 
cloth/* The true church will be persecuted and 
troddea under foot for twelve hundred and sixty 
years, but her voice shall not be silenced, nor 



58 THE PATHWAY OF FIRE. 

her light hidden. The word here rendered,, 
"witnesses/' is the plural form of the Greek 
w^ord "Marturos," wmich is only our English 
word martyr, spelled in Greek characters. "I 
will give power unto my tw r o martyrs;" and as 
no tw r o martyrs, even if one should succeed the 
oiher, can continue 1260 years, it can only 
mean that there shall be two lines of martyrs,, 
which, for this space of time shall continue to 
prophesy, under circumstances of deepest sor- 
row. 

"These are the two olive trees and the two* 
candle sticks" — lamp stands, in the original — 
"standing before the God of the earth.'- What 
is this, but that these two lines of martyrs, these 
sorrowing, prophesying ones, shall, for 1260 
years, be the medium through w T hich the spir- 
itual light of divine truth shall shine upon the 
earth. The two olive trees standing near indi- 
cate that they draw their supplies of light giv- 
ing power, directly from Christ the fountain 
head. 

Turn now T to the 12th chapter and 6th verse. 
Here w T e have the woman "fleeing to the wilder- 
ness, wmere she hath a place prepared of God, 
that they should feed he there a "thousand 
two-hundred and three score days." That is 
tw T elve hundred and sixty years in w^hich she is 
to remain in the wilderness, wmere, though 
trodden under foot and persecuted, she shall 
still be preserved. 

Turn once more to the 14th verse of the same 
chapter. Here we have the same woman, the 



THE WILDERNESS WAY. 59 

true church, "Nourished for a time, times and a 
half a time." Allowing 360 years as a "time," 
and multiplying it by three and a half, that is, 
one time, and two times, and a half a time, and 
we have 1260 years again, as the period during 
which God should preserve His true church, 
even though she should be trodden under foot 
and persecuted. Her voice should still be 
heard. Her light should continue to burn. She 
might prophesy in sackcloth. She might be 
trodden under foot, but the voice would be 
heard, and the light continue to gleam, even in 
the midnight darkness; for 



"Truth crushed to earth will rise again, 
The eternal years of God are hers ; 

While error vanquished, writhes in pain, 
And dies amid her worshipers/' 



Now, all this cannot be fortuitous. It was but 
the hand of God, writing history in advance. 

It was but the pencil of God, in the hand of 
Revelation, drawing the outlines of that pic- 
ture, whose background would be the darkness 
of the world's spiritual night, and whose lines 
and tracings were to be made with the blood of 
the martyrs of Jesus. Oh, how much is crowded 
into that brief outline! Twelve hundred and 
sixty years of sorrow and suffering — of toiling 
and testimony — of banishment and burning — 
of faggot and flames — of martyrdom of myriads 
— of torments and torture, all for the testimony 
of Jesus, and that there might be preserved to- 



60 THE PATHWAY OF FIRE. 

the generations to come after them, an open 
Bible and freedom to worship God. 

All hail ye martyred saints! Nearest to the 
throne of God, your ransomed souls shall rest. 
Through martyr fires ye went to glory and to 
God. Up from the flames ye ascended. From 
the dark waters, where went out your life — 
from the deep cold dungeon, wmere ye suffered 
and pined and died — from the rack, and the se- 
cret the place of torture,your souls mounted tri- 
umphantly, and angels waited at the gates of 
glory, to escort you to the seat of honor nearest 
to the throne of God and of the Lamb. 

But is there no connection between this pic- 
ture and the history of our people? Ah, yes! 
It is one and the same history. It is twelve hun- 
dred and sixty years travel along that "Path- 
way of Fire," trodden by our fathers, from the 
days when they were first scattered by persecu- 
tion's cruel hand, till the day when God's own 
hand brought them forth from the wilderness 
that they might lift up their voice like a trum- 
pet. While this scripture lives, let no man say 
that Baptist principles became extinct, or that 
the light of pure Christianity went out amid the 
darkness of the world's spiritual night. 

After Constantine had exhausted all his ef- 
forts to induce the Novatians and Donatists to 
unite with the more corrupt party, and form 
one great state church, as stated before, he let 
loose the dogs of persecution against them. In 
many instances nothing was left but exile or 
death. They then became scattered in nearly 






THE WILDERNESS WAY. 61 

all the countries of Europe and Asia. They 
were soon found in France, Bohemia, Moravia, 
Bulgaria, Germany, and in the valleys of the 
Piedmont. Here, under different names, in dif- 
ferent localities, they carried on their mission- 
ary operations. Patiently toiled and suffered 
and perished for more than twelve hundred 
years. 

Were these people Baptist? Well they were 
called "Anabaptists;" and it was for maintain- 
ing, in all essential charactristics, the same Bi- 
ble principles for which Baptists contend now, 
that they were persecuted, trodden under foot, 
drowned, beheaded, imprisoned, banished and 
burned. Yes, in principle, they were Baptists. 

This first great scattering under Constantine 
took place about from 316 to 320. From this 
point let us look along the "Fiery Pathway" 
and see if we can find any historical event,which 
will correspond with our Bible record, and mark 
the ending of the 1260 years. It should be borne 
in mind here, that in Bible records, it is only ap- 
proximate, rather than specific dates that are 
aimed at. 

For many years prior to 1566 the power of 
the Pope had been weakened in Holland and 
the Netherlands. Such had been the influence 
of the Anabaptists that he found it difficult to 
maintain his standing, and so, in 1566, he re- 
solved on a determined effort to establish the 
Inquisition in that country. For this work he 
selected Phillip II of Spain. Phillip entered 
the Netherlands with a large army, and was met 



62 THE PATHWAY OF FIRE. 

bv William, the Silent, the then Prince of Or- 
ange, who espoused the cause of the protest- 
ants. A long and bloody war followed, w T hich 
resulted, in about 1579, in the complete defeat 
of the Spaniards, the entire overthrow of the 
Inquisition, and severely crippling the power 
of Rome in all the continent of Europe, and the 
establishment of the Dutch republic, with Wil- 
liam at its head, and freedom to worship God 
as one of the bassic principles of its government. 
For these suffering, persecuted Baptists, the 1260 
years of prophesying were ended, and, hence- 
forth, in Holland and other parts of Europe, the 
Anabaptists could find a home where they could 
worship God according to the dictates of His 
word. This is largely the explanation of the 
action of those brethren in England, in sending 
to Holland, in 1633, where they were certain of 
finding the "ancient immersion." 

Here then, we have one line of martyrs, with 
the 1260 years clearly defined. Where shall w^e 
look for the other line? We will find it across 
the channel in Britain and Wales. I will not 
stop definitely to trace it now, as I will take it 
up later. All I desire to do now is to indicate 
the two lines of martyrs, so clearly pointed out 
in the book of Revelation. 

Leaving, therefore, the earlier Christians in 
Britain for further notice, let us, for the present, 
take-up the history at about 430. Up to this 
period they had been comparatively free from 
persecution, and had remained comparatively 
pure. It was about this period, however, that 



THE WILDERNESS WAY. 63 

the Picts and Scots invaded Britain and began 
a fierce and bitter persecution. "As a last re- 
sort, for relief from their oppressors, they sent 
to Deems thrice consul, the groans of the Bri- 
tains, but obtained no relief." Hoping for aid, 
they applied to the Anglo-Saxons, only to find 
them more bitter persecutors and inhuman ty- 
rants than the Picts and Scots. At last, wea- 
ried out with their persecutions,some purchased 
peace with the barbarians, while others, who re- 
fused to surrender their allegiance to Christ, 
sought an asylum in the mountains in Cornwall, 
and especially in the mountain fastnesses of 
Wales, where a succession of them can be traced 
till the Reformation. Here, also, the women 
found a home in the wilderness. 

Adding now to this date — 430, the 1260 years 
referred to in Revelation, and w r here does it 
bring us? To 1690. What great event, bear- 
ing on this question, occurred then? It is true 
that, previous to that, the so-called refor- 
mation in England had been established; but it 
brought no liberty of conscience to the despised 
Anabaptists. The fires of Smithfield burned 
and the prison doors still swung to admit them. 
But in 1690 William and Mary w 7 ere crowned 
king and queen of England. One of their first 
acts was to secure toleration in all matters of 
religion — an act that, to this day, is known as 
"England's Magna Charta." This was followed 
by the battle of the Boyne, by which the perse- 
cuting power of Rome was forever broken. The 



64 THE PATHWAY OF FIRE. 

1260 years for the other line of martyrs was 
ended. 

Here then we have the two distinct lines of 
martyrs, who, according to the prediction of the 
Apocalyptic seer, kept alive the lamp of Divine 
trnth, through suffering and persecution for 
1260 years, while the scarlet clothed women was 
"drunken with the blood of the saints, and with 
the blood of the martyrs of Jesus." To trace 
more closely those martyred saints, along their 
"Pathway of Fire," will form the subject of fu- 
ture chapters. 



WITNESSING IN SACK-CLOTH. 65 

CHAPTER VII. 

WITNESSING IN SACKCLOTH. 

"Here is the patience of the Saints. Here are they that 
keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus." 

The thirteenth verse of the fourteenth chap- 
ter of Revelation, has always been to me, a very 
instructive and comforting portion of Scripture. 
Like other ministers, I have regarded it as 
teaching the blessedness of the righteous, after 
death, and it has been a favorite text for fun- 
eral sermons, of those who died in Christ. I 
have no doubt now but it teaches this blessed 
truth. Lately, however, I have come to regard 
it as having specific reference to those who, ac- 
cording to the verse preceding it, placed at the 
head of this chapter, had "kept the command- 
ments of God, and the faith of Jesus," during 
those dark and trying periods, when the earth 
was made to drink of the blood of the saints. 

It is a fact, as important as true, that "the 
occasion develops the man," whether the occa- 
sion be political or religious. This is only an- 
other way of saying, that when God wants a 
man for a specific purpose, he knows where to 
find him. This was true of Paul, of Luther, and 
of Washington ; and it was equally true of those 
whom God raised up, through all those dark 



6(5 THE PATHWAY OF FIRE. 

and gloomy ages, as waymarks in the wilder- 
ness — or as kindling wood to keep the altar fires 
still burning. 

About the year 653 — a hundred years before 
the Donatists became extinct, there was con- 
verted in Armenia, one of those men, undoubt- 
edly chosen of God, for his own great purpose. 
His name was Oonstantine; and his conversion 
illustrates most clearly the fact above stated. 
A Baptist deacon, who it is said, had been a 
prisoner among the Saracens, was traveling 
through Armenia, and was entertained at Con- 
stantine's home — some authorities say, through 
a fit of illness. In return for his kindness, he 
presented Constantine with two manuscript 
rolls, containing the epistles of Paul. Constan- 
tine read them and was converted. He at once 
threw away his Manichaean books and became 
a flaming herald of the simple Gospel of Jesus. 
So closely did he and his converts follow the 
teachings of Paul, that they became known as 
Paulicians. 

It was in Armenia that the Novatians and 
Donatists had done much of their missionary 
work; and at the time of Oonsitan tine's conver- 
sion they had become very numerous under the 
local name of "Bogomiles," or "Men of Prayer." 

Constantine drew his theology directly from 
the word; but when he came to compare his 
views with those of the "Bogomiles he found 
them to agree with his own. — Bible truth is al- 
ways consistent with itself — and so, in a short 



WITNESSING IN SACK-CLOTH. fff 

time, he became a very prominent leader among 
them, knowing no creed but that of Christ and 
Paul. This fact accounts for the immense num- 
bers of Paulicians. They were not all converts 
of Constantine and his successors, but the Paul- 
icans and Bogomiles, were in principle, one and 
the same people. So numerous were they that, 
when that fiend incarnate, the Empress Theo- 
dora, had cruelly martyred one hundred thous- 
and of them, they were still " like the leaves of 
the forest." 

The Paulicians were truly missionary in spirit 
and effort. They carried out the great commis- 
sion to preach the gospel to every creature. 
They sent out their missionaries, two by two, 
"everywhere preaching the word." The result 
was that, in spite of the edicts of the kings, the 
fiery opposition of the Greek and Eoman 
churches, and the martyrdom of many, in a 
hundred years they were numbered by hundreds 
of thousands, not only in Armenia, but in "the 
regions beyond." 

In 741 Emperor Constantine V banished very 
many of them to Thrace, wiience they carried 
the gospel into Bulgaria, resulting in the con- 
version of many thousand Bulgarians. 

From 775 to 815 the Paulicians were almost 
constantly the subjects of severe persecution; 
but from the latter date till about 830 foreign 
w r ars attracted the attention of the Emperors, 
and they had rest. This was only the prelude 
to still greater suffering. Theophilus died, 
leaving the crown to his son Michael, only five 



68 THE PATHWAY OP FIRE. 

years of age. Theodora became regent, and,, 
filled with hatred of the Paulicians, resolved on 
nothing short of their extermination. Her first 
act was to issue a decree, requiring all her sub- 
jects to conform to the worship of the Greek 
church. This the Paulicians refused, when she 
sent an immense army with instructions to put 
to death all, both high and low, who refused to 
obey her decree. The scene of carnage and 
death went on till between one and two hun- 
dred thousands of those Paulician Baptists had 
sealed their allegiance to Christ with their 
blood. 

Just here permit me to state a fact that has 
forcibly impressed me. I have recently been 
investigating, somewhat, the Armenian mas- 
sacres in the same land, where dwelt,a thousand 
years ago, those Paulician and Bogoniile chris- 
tians, and w r here fell those more than a hundred 
thousand martyrs. I have been impressed with 
the testimony of even their enemies,to the purity 
of life — the humbleness of walk, the simplicity 
of manners, and nearness to Bible teachings, of 
those Armenian christians. They have no con- 
nection with either the Greek or Roman church, 
or the Mohammedans. They are a body of chris- 
tians by themselves. They do not worship 
saints. They believe in the independence of 
the churches. They have no priests, but simple 
pastors. They believe in spiritual Christianity 
and baptize only by immersion. When we re- 
member all the changes through w^hich they 
have passed, the influence brought to bear and 



WITNESSING IN SACK-CLOTH G9 

the persecutions endured,aniidall of which they 
have remained true to the simpler doctrines and 
practices of the early christians, it would seem 
as though those early Paulician Baptists had 
left an impress, that all the ages have been 
unable to obliterate. Here is a subject worthy 
of the most careful study of our Baptist 
historians. 

Beturning to our history. The converts to 
the Paulician faith in Bulgaria were known as 
Bulgarians, from the place whence they came, 
and they can be traced to the fifteenth century. 

As those Paulicians form one of the most 
numerous and interesting sects of all of those 
early Baptists, and as they form a sort of con- 
necting link between those who preceded them 
and those who come after,it will be well to pause 
at this point in our pathway, and convince our- 
selves still further of their Baptistic sentiments. 

From a careful study of their doctrines, as 
given by Mosheim and others, it is appa- 
rent that the following will about cover the 
ground of their doctrinal belief: 

1. They believed in the personal piety of all 
ohurch members. None but converted people 
should be allowed to join the church. 

2. They rejected all sacraments as a means 
of salvation — accepting them only as symbols 
of religion and commands of Christ. 

3. They totally rejected infant baptism. 

4. They refused to worship images, or to ac- 
cept the teachings of the Greek or Catholic 
churches concerning them. 



70 THE PATHWAY OF FIRE. 

5. They refused the Roman idea of the priest- 
hood, and abhored the confessional. 

6. They denied the doctrine and duty of pen- 
ance, and bitterly denounced the idea of pur- 
gatory. 

7. Their only baptism was the immersion of 
a believer in water, on his profession of faith 
in Christ. 

"The Paulicians sincerely condemned the 
memory and opinions of the Manichaean sect, 
and complained of the injustice of impressing 
that invidious name on the simple followers of 
Paul and of Christ. The objects which had 
been transformed, by the magic of superstition, 
appeared to the eyes of the Paulicians in their 
genuine and naked colors. They attached them- 
selves with peculiar devotion to the writings 
and character of Paul, in whom they gloried. 
In the gospels and epistles of Paul, Constantine 
investigated the creed of the primitive chris- 
tians, . . . and the words of the gospel were, in 
their judgment, the baptism and communion of • 
the faithful — Gibbon. 

Dr. Allix, who made a careful study of them, 
says — "They, with the Manichaeans" — mark, he 
does not say that they were Manichaeans — 
"were Anabaptists, or rejectors of infant bap- 
tism. 

Dr. Milner says of them — "They were simply 
scriptural in the use of the sacraments; they 
were orthodox in the doctrine of the Trinity; 
they knew of no other mediator than the Lord 
Jesus Christ." 



WITNESSING IN SACK-CLOTH. 71 

• 

Dean Waddington, after carefully investigat- 
ing all the charges brought against them by 
their enemies, gives this testimony: "They" — 
the charges — "evince their freedom from some 
of thepopular superstitions of the Greeks — ador- 
ation of the virgin,and reverence for the fancied 
relics of the cross; and this again had been 
crime sufficient to arm against them, in the 
eighth and ninth centuries the intemperate 
zealots of the Oriental church. Add to this 
that they held images of the saints in no rever- 
ance, and recommended to every class of peo- 
ple the assiduous study of the Sacred Word; not 
suppressing their indignation against the 
Greeks, who closed the sources of divine knowl- 
edge to all except the priests, and we shall not 
wonder that the Paulicians became the victims 
of the most disgraceful persecution that ever 
disgraced the Eastern church/' 

With such testimony as the above, I am sur- 
prised to note that Dr. Tedder in his "Short His- 
tory of the Baptists,'' classes the Paulicians 
with the Manichaeans. The truth is — with due 
reference to the times and age , the manners 
and customs of the people among whom they 
lived, they may be reasonably counted among 
the Baptist descendants from the apostolic 
churches. 

We have thus traced the history of Xew Tes- 
tament church principles along the pathway of 
time, from that little church at Jerusalem. We 
have followed the principles, and found them 
prominent among the Xovatians of Italy, the 



72 THE PATHWAY OF FIRE. 

Donatists of Africa, and the Paulicians of Arme- 
nia. Here we have reached the middle of the 
eleventh centnry. The whole pathway has been, 
more or less, a pathway of fire and persecution, 
through which hundreds of thousands have 
gone up to glory and to God, in chariots of lit- 
eral flame. Still, the voice has not been 
silenced, the lamp has not been extinguished. 

Ere we leave them, to take our journey fur- 
ther along this "Fiery Pathway," let us take one 
sw r ift glance at the field of their labors, and gain 
strength and inspiration to follow them amid 
still darker persecutions, and by the light of 
still fiercer fires, through which our patlrway 
must lead. The place is Armenia, amid the 
graves of the hundreds of thousands of our 
brethren. The time is the middle of the elev- 
enth century. "We stand on that sublime 
height of Ararat, from which Noah looked 
down on the receding waters of the deluge as 
they drew back from hill and dale, and once 
more the earth appeared in view." Alas! an- 
other deluge covers the earth. It is the dark- 
ness of spiritual night. It is the beginning of 
the darkest period of the Christian dispensa- 
tion. Around us, and to the north, the beast 
of the sea, the Greek hierarchy is pouring out 
his floods of persecution to destroy the saints. 
To the south, where rise the tall minerets of 
the "Seven Hilled City" sits on her throne of 
state, the Scarlet woman, the Roman hierarchy, 
already becoming "drunken with the blood of 



WITNESSING IN SACK-CLOTH. 73 

the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of 
Jesus." 

But look! Another scene appears, as if to 
tell us that the imperishable truth of God still 
lives, and that the blessed light of ages still 
shines, here and there, in the midst of this al- 
most impenetrable darkness. The torch 
lighted at the fire of Christ's own altar, is not 
jet extinguished. By its beams we can take a 
retrospect of the past, and, peering out into the 
darkness, see and read "the waymarks in the 
wilderness," pointing out our pathway in the 
future. Just below us lies the sacred land, long 
ago trodden by the feet of the Son of God. 
There, in "the vale of Kedron," with Olivet 
guarding her, like a faithful sentinel, reposes 
the "City of Zion," whence first beamed forth 
the effulgent light of the Gospel truth. Away 
to the west, under the very shadows of the Vati- 
can, is seen the glimmering light, which, like 
the burning bush on Horeb's plain, burns but 
is not consumed. Yonder, beyond the blue wa- 
ters of the Mediterranean, lies Africa, whose 
soil has been made sacred by the blood of the 
martyred Donatists. Still yonder, where rise 
the towering summits of the lofty Alps, is seen 
another light, where the fleeing woman has 
found a "home in the wilderness, prepared for 
her of God." At their base sleeps the beautiful 
valley of the Piedmont, and there, also, have 
the children of the King found a refuge 
from their oppressors, and there "the 



74 THE PATHWAY OF FIRE. 

green foliage of the tree of life" is send- 
ing forth its budding leaves for the heal- 
ing of the nations. Beyond it still, where tower 
those lofty summits of the Pyrenees, the scat- 
tered Baptists of Italy and Africa, still bearing 
the reproachful name of "Anabaptist," and still 
firm in their allegiance to Christ and his truth, 
calmly wait for the bursting of that storm, the 
mutterings of whose distant thunders we can 
hear as we look down from the summit of Ar- 
arat. Still further to the west, beyond the 
dancing billows of the English channel, w T here 
rise those chalky cliffs of that "Seagirt Isle," 
in the fastnesses of those mountains of Wales, 
"we can see the light shining above the hills," 
and we know the altar fires of a living faith are 
burning there also. Surely w T e need not despair 
however intense the darkness, when around us> 
on every hand, "the lights along the shore" are 
still so brightly burning. 

But we have lingered long, as from our lofty 
summit we have taken this survey of the situa- 
tion, let us down and away once more as we 
look along the Fiery Pathway for the footprints 
of our fathers. 



CAST DOWN BUT NOT DESTROYED. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

CAST DOWN BUT NOT DESTROYED. 

u And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the 
saints and the blood of the martyrs of Jesus." 

The introduction of Christianity was the sig- 
nal for persecution. Scarce had the Son of God 
made his advent to earth when the devil mar- 
shalled his hosts against him. His infant life 
was only preserved by miraculous interposition 
and his manhood was one long scene of suffer- 
ing and reproach which finally closed on a cruel 
Roman cross. His disciples one after another 
sealed their testimony with martyrdom. The 
heroic Paul after leaving the sorrowful record 
in the eleventh of the Second Corinthians went 
to Rome and died a martyr's death. Thus was 
Christianity launched amidst the billows of the 
world's hatred and from that time till now have 
clouds and storms been round about her. 
Other things being equal the nearer the follow- 
ers of Jesus have kept to his commandments,, 
the wilder the storms have raged. 

Thus far, as we have seen, the altar files, kin- 
dled by Christ and fanned by the Holy Spirit 
have remained unextinguished. We have seen 
their light shining all along the pathway down 
to the middle of the eleventh centurv. From 



76 THE PATHWAY OF FIRE. 

hence, though they shone none the less clearly, 
we shall find the efforts to extinguish them re- 
doubled. 

One fact is encouraging. We have reached 
a point where the light of history shines more 
clearly. Facts are more fully attested. The 
records are more extensive. Perhaps, were 
all the history written, from the first 
to about the eleventh century, it would 
be found that the martyrs for Jesus were 
as numerous in those centuries as in these that 
followed. Indeed, the half has never been writ- 
ten in any age and the present generation w^ill 
never know, till they learn it in the other world, 
all that it has cost in human suffering and mar- 
tyrdom to secure to them w 7 hat they now enjoy 
in freedom to worship God. 

But where shall we next look for the foot- 
prints of our fathers? We w r ill let Gibbon, the 
historian answer. 

"It was in the country of the Albegeois in 
the Southern Province of France that 
the doctrines of the Paulicans were 
most deeply implanted. In the prac- 
tice, or at least in the theory of the sacra- 
ments, the Paulicians were inclined to abolish 
all visible objects of worship and the words of 
the gospel were, in their judgment, the baptism 
and communion of the faithful." 

Again. — "They conversed freely with stran- 
gers and natives and their opinions were 
silently propagated in Rome and the kingdoms 



CAST DOWN BUT NOT DESTROYED. 7T 

beyond the Alps. It was soon discovered that 
many thousands of Catholics of every rank and 
either sex had embraced their heresy." 

Still further. — "In the busy age of the Cru- 
sades some sparks of curiosity and reason were 
kindled in the western world. The heresy 
of Bulgaria, the Paulician sect, was successively 
transplanted in Italy and France." 

From the above statements of Gibbon it can 
be seen how easily we can trace the principles 
we are following from Armenia and Bulgaria to 
France and Italy, even if there were no other 
footprints save those that were made by the 
Paulician Baptists. But let us precede them 
and look among the inhabitants of Italy and 
France and in the mountains and valleys that 
make up the country of the Alps, the Appen- 
nines and the Pyrenees and see if there were no 
Baptists there to greet them before the Crusa- 
ders took up their march towards, not the tomb 
of Jesus, but of Joseph of Arimathaea. 

Gibbon says the Paulicians were most deeply 
implanted in the connirv of the Albegeois. 
This was the home to which the early christian 
principles had already been carried. 

The light kindled by the Novatians in Italy 
had never been totally extinguished. In secret 
places those early Baptists have worshipped 
God, and kept the fire burning. Hidden away 
were kept some "live coals from off the altar," 
ready to be fanned into a flame, whenever 
God's own time would come. So when the 



?, THE PATHWAY OF: FIRE. 

Paulicians carried their doctrines into Italy 
and France and Spain, they found the soil 
prepared, the leaven already working. 

How did that gospel get there? For answer 
go back to the early part of the fourth century, 
when the floodgates of persecution were opened 
on the defenseless Novatians and Donatists. 
"The woman fled to the wilderness," to this very 
place "prepared for her of God." It was those 
persecuted Anabaptists that God had in his 
mind, when he created those mountain fast- 
nesses and those secluded valleys. It was to 
these they fled and it was they who planted 
the first seeds of the gospel there, and they 
found a fertile soil. In a comparatively short 
time, such was their piety and zeal, they were 
numbered by hundreds of thousands. The 
valley of Piedmont and other portions of 
France and Spain was their natural home. 
From there they sent missionaries to Holland, 
Switzerland, Bohemia, and Germany. So great 
was their success, that, by the beginning of 
the twelfth century, one of their number could 
travel over a large part of Europe and be 
entertained at the home of one of their brethren 
every night. 

During the crusades of the eleventh and 
twelfth centuries, the attention of Popes and 
Kings was turned toward the "Holy Sepul- 
chre;" and, like the early apostolic christians, 
it can be said: "Then had the churches rest, 
and walking in the fear of the Lord were 
multiplied." 



CAST D0WX BUT NOT DESTROYED. 79 

In the beginning of the thirteenth century, 
the storm broke in all its fury. The crusades 
had ended, and had largely proved a failure. 
Pope Innocent III now turned all his attention 
to the extermination of the defenseless Ana- 
baptists. A general crusade was proclaimed, 
the field of battle offering better prospect of 
success. Indulgencies were sold to raise money 
to carry on the war of extermination. Then 
began a scene that presents the blackest page 
in all the book of history. Those inoffensive 
and defenseless people became the victims of 
Rome's bitterest vengence, and an indiscrimi- 
nate slaughter was begun. Vast armies were 
sent out with instructions only to destroy and 
exterminate. 

Count Raymond of Toulouse sought to shield 
such as were in his dominions, but all in vain. 
Before that mighty wave of cruelty, every 
barrier gave way and the valleys and streams, 
the hills and streets ran red with martyr blood. 
"The woman was drunken with the blood of 
the Saints and with the blood of the martyrs 
of Jesus." It was this scene that drew from 
the poet Milton those touching lines: 

"Avenge, O Lord thy slaughtered saints of old, 
Whose bones lie bleaching on the Alpine mountains cold 
Even those who kept thy truth so pure of old, 
Forget not. In thy book let all their names be written." 

Says the British Encyclopedia: — "The bloody 
war of extermination which followed has 



80 THE PATHWAY OF FIRE. 

scarcely a parallel in history. As town after 
town was taken, the inhabitants were put to 
the sword without distinction of age or sex; the 
ecclesiastics who were in the army being 
especially blood thirsty." "Slay all, God will 
know his own," was the battle cry, and, like 
demons, did the fanatical religionist soldiers 
respond to it. No man can estimate the great 
number slain, but their names are all preserved 
and their martyr crowns will point them out 
in that day. (See Kev. 6:9.)" 

But were they exterminated? No. Although 
this war had been carried on for twenty-five 
years, at its close, "the blood of the martyrs 
had so become the seed of the church" that 
fully 800,000 of those Baptists still remained 
in various parts of Europe. 

History has established one fact, viz: The 
scattering method is the poorest method for 
exterminating Baptist principles. Sixteen cen- 
turies of experience has proven this fact beyond 
a doubt and the twenty-five years of effort to 
scatter and exterminate those Albigenses, and 
other sects professing the same principles was 
no exception to the rule. It only sowed the 
seed more broad cast; and we trace it to Swit- 
zerland, to Holland, to Germany, and every- 
where, like fire in the forest, each enkindling 
grew until the light of all blended into one 
great flame. 

We must now, for a few moments, turn our 
attention to denominations, called by other 
names, but holding the same principles. Of 



CAST DOWN BUT NOT DESTROYED. 81 

these we shall have time only to speak of their 
great leaders and give a passing glance at their 
history. The first of these is 

PETEO DE BKUIS, 

wmose followers w r ere called Petrobrussians. 
The name and memory of this heroic man will 
live while there are people on the earth, w^ho 
love an open Bible, a pure church and a living 
faith. "A burning and a shining light," he 
carried the torch of truth, until it fell from his 
nerveless grasp amid the martyr fires in which 
his heroic soul mounted up to the throne of God 
and the Lamb. He fell at his post, being 
burned at the stake in 1126. His followers 
became numerous and may be traced in various 
parts of Europe, till the year 1300. 

Another name that stands out, like a bright 
beacon light, in the darkness, is 

HENRY OF LAUSAUNE. 

In the old city of Toulouse Henry first lifted 
up his voice like a trumpet to show the people 
their sins; but he was onlv permitted to live 
long enough to set in motion a reform that 
would still live after its promoter had gone to 
take the martyr's crown. Driven from Tou- 
louse, he fled to the mountains, but was hunted 
like a fox, brought back and thrown into a 
loathsome dungeon, where he was left to 
languish and die. No voice comes to us from 
that lone dungeon, no records are kept of his 



82 THE PATHWAY OF FIRE. 

anguish, while pining slowly to death for Jesus' 
sake, but among the immortals up yonder, 
Henry of Lausanne appears wearing a martyr's 
crown. 

"Henry was a Baptist, believing in the 
Spirituality of Christs' kingdom, the supreme 
authority of Christ as King, and the immersion 
of true believers." — Ford. 

His followers were called Henricians and 
may be traced for several years. 

Still another name that is imperishable, and 
that will shine with ever increasing lustre, as 
the ages roll on, is 

ARNOLD OF BRESCEA. 

His followers were known as Arnoldists and 
had their origin about 1137. As a distinct 
body, they can be traced but a few years after 
the death of their intrepid leader, when they 
no doubt, became incorporated into other 
bodies, holding the same principles. When he 
was being pursued, he went boldly to Rome 
and in defiance of the entire Papacy, dared to 
proclaim the simple gospel story, four hundred 
years before Luther nailed his thesis to the 
doors of his church. 

"He was a Baptist and for holding just what 
Baptists now hold, he was arrested, condemned, 
crucified, and then burned and his ashes 
thrown into the Tyber." Ford. 

If the act of Luther, in defying the council 
at Wirms, has rendered his name immortal, 
what honor should be Mven to that intrepid 



CAST DOWN BUT NOT DESTROYED. 83 

reformer, "Arnold of Brescia," for his mighty 
courage, his lofty purpose, and his sublime 
faith, in leaving his place of sheltered security, 
and in defiance of the whole power of the 
Vatican, lifting up his voice even in the "seven 
hilled city," and 

"Like a gate of steel, 

Fronting the sun, receives and renders back 

His figure and bis beat." 

Ah! It was because such heroic reformers 
had preceded Luther and Calvin and Knox 
that they were able to make the reformation a 
success. All honor to their memory for their 
heroism and courage, and the faith that 
sustained them in that mighty conflict by which 
the chains were broken and the Bible made 
free. Not one leaf would we pluck from the 
laurel crown their memory wears. But shall 
we not have some recognition for the same act, 
under much more adverse circumstances? The 
world, aye, and the church too, while they are 
loud in their praise of Luther, are slow to speak 
of those God honored Baptists who purchased 
soul liberty with their lives. But the world is 
beginning to recognize their conflicts and their 
triumphs; and in after years the world's justi- 
fication and the church's gratitude will form 
a monument to their memory and heroic deeds 
that will speak their praise, 

"When gems and monuments and crowns 
Shall 'blend in common dust." 



84 THE PATHWAY OF FIRE. 

It will be well at this point, that the reader 
may follow us more intelligently, to give a 
short description of the geographical location 
of some of the religious bodies to which I am 
now to refer. 

The Pyrenees mountains form the boundary 
line between France and Spain; extending from 
near the Bay of Biscay on the west to the 
Mediterranean sea. The Albigenses w^ere 
mostly settled on the North, or French side of 
the mountains and the Waldenses on the South, 
or Spanish side. In their principles and 
doctrines at the time here referred to they were 
practically the same; their names indicating 
local rather than doctrinal differences. Indeed, 
the same people would sometimes be called by 
one name and sometimes by another. It was 
not uncommon for the Albigenses, when perse- 
cutions would become unbearable, to cross the 
mountains and find a refuge with their brethren 
in Spain till the storm would subside. When 
Spain would come down with persecution, the 
Waldenses would take refuge in France. The 
reader must remember that "history travels 
slowly;" and that of those people cover several 
hundred years. It is true, that in later years, 
some of the Waldenses inclined somewhat to 
Pedobaptism; but so far as the history of the 
Albigenses can be traced, this w T as not the 
case with them. The Albigenses retained their 
distinctive Baptist sentiments; and it is from 
these through the Lollards that we trace the 
line of our principles to England where they 



CAST DOWN BUT NOT DESTROYED. 85 

continued to suffer persecution till the act of 
toleration relieved them. 

The Alps is a range of mountains, dividing 
the Southeastern part of France from Italy 
and the Appenines lie between Italy on the 
South and France and Switzerland on the 
north. Lying at their base, and sheltered by 
them on the north and west is the beautiful 
valley of the Piedmont, and the Province of 
Lombardy. This is an immense table-land, 
terminating in wide valleys extending far up 
in the mountains, forming a thousand nooks 
and shelters, and sequestered spots, where 
fertile vales, crystal waters, the richest soil and 
healthiest climate combine to constitute one 
of the most delightful spots on earth. When 
God created the world he looked along down 
the ages, and knowing the future as the 
present, here he prepared the place to which 
his persecuted church could flee when the storm 
of persecution should break on her defenseless 
head. No spot could be found under the broad 
sky, more evidently designed, as a place of 
refuge where, unmolested, his people could 
pursue their peaceful avocations and at the 
same time preserve to the world the priceless 
treasure of a pure gospel. So, when the storm 
broke and the tempest of persecution raged 
against his pure church, he placed a guide- 
board pointing to a the place prepared for her 
of God," and with a firm faith those Novatian 
and Donatist Baptists turned their steps 
towards this sheltered land. Leo and his com- 



86 THE PATHWAY OF FIRE. 

panions, — how many we will never know^ — 
came and planted the seeds of truth and here 
they lived and toiled, and "kept the faith." 
Known simply as "Voidois, or dwellers in the 
valley," their innocent ways, pure lives, and 
simple gospel commended them to all. From 
here they sent forth their pastors, or bards, self- 
sacrificing missionaries of the cross with their 
pack of merchandise on their shoulders and 
the Gospel of Jesus in their hearts. Out on 
Italy's broad field they planted it, and erelong 
we have a host of "Paterines,"so named because 
of their patient endurance of persecution. 
Across the Alps, in the sunny soil of Southern 
France, and lo, the Albigenses, from Albi, their 
principle seat, are numbered by the thousands. 
Farther still and the sunny slopes of Spain, at 
the base of the Pyrenees, are made a moral 
garden where the flowers of a pure Christianity 
bud and bloom. Still on, climbing "the 
steeps of Appennines," and Switzerland and 
Germany receive the blessed results of their 
missionary work. On, still on, and Holland 
and the Netherlands re-echo back the glad 
accents of Salvation. Menno Simon catches 
the inspiration of a true faith, and, "like a 
mighty force let loose," he goes forth, lifting 
high the banner of the cross, and soon the name 
of "Mennonite" or Dutch Baptist becomes a 
household word. And so, we have the Voidois 
of the valleys, the Paterines of Italy, the 
Waldenses of Spain, the Mennonites of Hol- 
land, the Anabaptists of Switzerland and the 



CAST DOWN BUT NOT DESTROYED. 87 

German Baptists of Germany all bearing 
different names, locally, but all alike in every 
essential characteristic, and all bearing the 
closest resemblance to the Paulicians of 
Armenia, the Donatists of Africa, the Nova- 
tians of Italy, the gospel churches of Jerusalem 
and Palestine, and the Baptists of the United 
States. It is not the name, but the doctrines 
of the New Testament that constitute one 
common chain that binds them together 
through all the ages. Principles, not names, 
has ever been the Baptist watchword. 

But how shall we account for this close 
resemblance of principles betwen all those 
numerous bodies here named and the early 
Donatists, and Novatians? Two facts will 
furnish the answer and the only satisfactory 
answer that can be given. First. — the former 
were the literal descendants of the latter; and 
second, they all alike drew their oil from the 
same source — the "Spirit and the Word," rep- 
resented by "the two olive trees" in Revelation. 
The Bible teaches the same truth to all. 

In Switzerland and Germany the Baptists 
continued till the reformation; and when first 
its light dawned on the latter, thousands of 
the German and Swiss Baptists came forth to 
offer their sympathy and aid to Luther in his 
great work. Indeed from all over Europe, they 
rose, like Ezekiel's dry bones in the valley, 
believing that the day of their deliverance had 
come; thus fully substantiating the statement 
of Mosheim, that "Before the rise of Luther and 



88 THE PATHWAY OF FIRE. 

Calvin, they lay concealed in almost all the 
countries of Europe." 

Let us now turn to Holland. It was inl492 
the year made memorable by the discovery of 
the New World, that an event occurred of 
scarcely less importance, viz: the birth in 
Friesland of Menno Simon. He was educated 
in the church of Eome and became a Roman 
priest. While studying the sacred word, he 
became convicted of sin, and savingly convert- 
ed. About this time he read of the martyrdom 
of one Snijder, "who was beheaded, his body 
tern on the wheel and his bodiless head set on 
a stake, as a warning to all others not to be 
guilty of his crime." And what heinous crime, 
reader, think you that it was? The court 
record says, it was "For being rebaptised, and 
persevering in that baptism." This settled the 
question with Menno. From that moment he 
became a zealous preacher of the same faith, 
and continued, his field being all Europe, till 
his death in 1559. Twenty years after his 
death Holland became a free government, with 
liberty of conscience, in matters of religion. 
The very close relation between the Baptists 
of Holland, and the later Baptists of England I 
will show further on. I will close this chapter 
with the testimony of Cardinal Hosius, himself 
a Roman Catholic, and president of the Council 
of Trent. He says: "If the truth of religion 
were to be judged of by the readiness and 
cheerfulness which a man of any sect shows in 
suffering, then the opinions and persuasions of 



CAST DOWN BUT NOT DESTROYED. 89 

no sect can be truer or surer, than those of the 
Anabaptists; since there have been none for 
these twelve hundred years past that have been 
more previously punished." When was this 
statement made? In 1570. Deduct 1260 
years, and we are carried back to the 
days of the Novatians and Donatists. Surely 
God must have forced this, testimony, to help 
explain the vision of the seer, where he saw the 
woman fleeing to the wilderness. It is well to 
bear in mind that the flight of the woman does 
not refer to a single specific date, as much as to 
an act; and, indicates simply that pure Chris- 
tianity would be trodden under foot, and its 
professors w^ould be compelled to flee to their 
hidden places, and seek a refuge where they 
could worship God in secret. Put this state- 
ment of Vossius with that of Mosheim, the 
"True of origin of the Baptists is hidden in the 
remotest depths of antiquity" — and that "Be- 
fore the rise of Luther and Calvin they lay con- 
cealed in nearly all the countries of Europe," 
and we are led to ask, what more evidence can 
be demanded, to convince the christian world 
of the ancient origin of the Baptists? 



90 THE PATHWAY OF FIRE. 



CHAPTER IX. 

OUT OF GREAT TRIBULATION. 
"These are they that have come out of great tribulation." 

Having now traced the one line of martyrs, 
the Baptists on the continent, down to the 
reformation, let us leave them, while we go 
back and trace the other line in Great Britain 
and Wales. This we shall be compelled to do 
very briefly, to keep our little book within the 
prescribed limits. 

Just when, or how, Christianity, was first 
planted in Britain we do not know. The native 
Britains were Druids; but, at a very earlv 
period, certainly in the first century, the gospel 
was carried there, and many of the natives 
were converted. The groves, where once had 
been offered the bloody .worship of the Druids, 
were made to re-echo the praises of the once 
Crucified Christ. 

For the first three centuries, the churches of 
Britain seem to have remained comparatively 
pure. The distance from the contentions and 
influences which affected the change in Italy 
and Africa was in their favor; so that at the 
beginning of the fourth century, no special 
fault could be found with the doctrines and 
practices of the churches of that country. 

In the very early part of the fifth century,, 
the Picts and Scots invaded Britain, overran 
the country and began a course of severe perse- 



OUT OF GREAT TRIBULATION. 91 

cution. Deems was appealed to, but found it 
impossible to afford the Britains relief. The 
Anglo-Saxons, were then appealed to, who 
responded so fully that they drove back the 
Picts and Scots, overran the country and took 
possession of it themselves. 

They soon became more tyrannical and cruel 
in their persecution than the others. At length 
worn out with constant persecution, and rend- 
ered defenseless by their enemies, some of the 
christians renounced their religion and made 
peace with the barbarians. Others, and there 
were many of them, refused to surrender their 
religion and lied to the mountains, especially 
the mountain fastnesses of Wales, and the 
country in and around Cornwall, where they 
might worship God in peace according to the 
dictates of His word. 

The Anglo-Saxons, having gained full control 
of the country, they erelong became an object 
of great interest to the Roman Catholics and 
they resolved to undertake their conversion to 
the Catholic faith. A monk named Austin 
was persuaded to undertake the mission and 
he and his co-workers reached England in 
the latter part of the fifth century. 

Their instruction was, not to preach Christ 
and him crucified as the way of salvation, but 
to adapt his religion, so far as possible to the 
customs of the barbarians, and thus win them 
by craft. He presented letters of introduction 
to the Saxon King, who was pleased with the 
manners and address of the crafty monk and 



92 THE PATHWAY OF FIRE. 

was finally persuaded to be baptised in the 
Catholic faith. This paved the way for 
Austin's success, and, erelong there were thous- 
ands of Catholic converts, and the rivers 
became the scenes of baptism of multitudes. 
The only mode of course w^as immersion. 

Having thoroughly established the Roman 
Catholic religion among the Anglo-Saxons, 
Austin next turned his attention to the conver- 
sion of the Welsh christians. Here, however, 
he found different material. He found a peo- 
ple already rooted and grounded in the truth. 
A people who knew the difference between a 
vain ceremony and a living faith. They refused 
either to receive his doctrine or to obey his 
mandate. They were ready to accept and to 
obey as far as their duty to do so was shown 
them from God's word. 

A conference was finally arranged between 
Austin and some of the Welsh pastors. 
These latter explained that they could do 
nothing without consulting their churches — 
the strongest evidence that, at least, they 
possessed one of the most prominent of Baptist 
doctrines, the perfect equality of pastor and 
people. It was finally agreed to call a council 
and give Austin an opportunity to submit his 
propositions. The council assembled in a grove 
of oaks. In glowing terms Austin set forth the 
advantages they would derive from embracing 
the Catholic faith and then submitted his prop- 
ositions. These were .found to be so at 
variance with their ideas of the Bible that the 



OUT OF GREAT TRIBULATION. 93 

Welsh christians at once refused even to con- 
sider them. The wily monk then began to 
yield one demand after another, until, at last, 
he insisted on only three propositions. These 
were: 

First. — That they should acknowledge the 
authority of the pope. 

Second. — That they should keep easter like 
Catholics. 

Third. — That they should baptise their child- 
ren. 

To all these propositions those Welsh 
Baptists gave a most positively negative 
answer. 

At last the patience of the poor monk was 
exhausted; and "changing his countenance 
toward them," he cried in great anger: "Well 
since ye will not have peace and quietness, ye 
shall have woe and wretchedness." 

And truly, indeed, did Austin carry out his 
threats. The Saxon barbarians, recently con- 
verted to Catholicism, without religious intelli- 
gence, change of heart or grace, were only a 
set of religious fanatics and ready to do the 
bidding of the lords of their conscience. With 
a zeal, worthy of a nobler course, they began 
the work of destruction. The college at Ban- 
gor, a noble seat of learning, was destroyed, 
the preachers were put to death, and over two 
thousand martyrs sealed their testimony with 
their lives. The residue fled to the mountains, 
where they gathered up their scattered breth- 



!94 THE PATHWAY OE FIRE. 

ren and again laid the foundation of their work 
for Christ and His churches. 

Though cast down they were not destroyed. 
In spite of all the fiery opposition, these Welsh 
Baptists kept the lamp of truth burning, 
through all the ages of darkness and when the 
bright beams shone from the hill tops of France 
and Spain and Italy and Germany, they were 
answered back from the chalky cliffs beyond 
the blue waters that separate Britain from the 
rest of Europe. It was indeed a place prepared 
of God, where the light of a pure Christianity 
might shine, while so much of the world was 
enveloped in spiritual darkness. 

All the evidence at command goes to prove 
that these Welsh christians, in all essential 
characteristics were Baptists. An old Welsh 
chronicle says: — 

"And thus they dwelt here 

An hundred and fifty year, 

So that never christening 

Came here to be known in the land, 

Nor bell ringing nor church hallowed 

Nor child was there baptised." 

Following down the fiery pathway of those 
Welsh Baptists, we come to some of the most 
illustrious names to be found in the annals 
of the country. We might mention William 
Tyndale, who gave England the Bible in her 
own language, and had already got the four 
books of Moses into Welsh before exchanging 



OUT OF GREAT TRIBULATION. 95 

the cross for a crown. Lewellyn Tindale, 
Hesekiah Tindale, Howell Yaugn, who stood 
with towers of truth on the Rock of Ages, while 
like billows of persecution and error broke 
around them. Of Walter Brute, that staunch 
Baptist, who when arrested and brought before 
the ecclesiastics, and required to give a written 
answer, wrote these sublime words: — 

"In the name of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost 
I, Walter Brute, sinner, layman, husbandman, 
and christian, having been accused to the 
bishop, that I did err in matters of christ- 
ian faith, do answer, if any man, of any sect, 
will show that I err, by the authority of the 
sacred scriptures, I will gladly receive his 
information." 

When the reformation dawned in England, 
the Welch Baptists came out of there "Pied- 
mont of Wales," from the vale of Carleon, from 
the valleys and recesses of those Welch Alps, 
Merthyn and Tydfyl, where all the long centu- 
ries they had cherished the faith received from 
their fathers. They were joined by many re- 
formers from England, who, no doubt, brought 
with them some of the lesser errors of their cast 
off church, notably mixed communion; but the 
Welsh Baptists had never imbibed this error. 
Even to the present day, there are to be found 
no truer Baptists than are to be found in Wales. 

LOLLARD AND WICKLIFFE. 

To write any kind of a history of Baptist 
principles in England and not mention Lollard 



96 THE PATHWAY uF FIRE. 

and Wickliffe, would be to write Hamlet and 
leave Hamlet out. 

It was about 1320 that the Albegensian 
faith was successfully transplanted into Eng- 
land. Walter Reynard, called Lollard, by 
way of reproach, as claimed by some, was the 
instrument chosen of God, for that grand mis- 
sionary enterprise. We can only account for 
the result in one of two ways. Either there 
were thousands of people of the same faith who 
stood ready to greet and join Lollard in his 
work, or he must have had special enduement 
of the Holv Spirit. Possibly it may have been 
both combined. So numerous did they become 
that Newberry, in his history of England, 
declares them to be "As numerous as the sands 
of the sea." 

Did I wish to write a large volume, I could 
find ample material, in the persecutions of the 
Lollards and Wickliffites, but I must pass them, 
with the briefest reference. Lollard himself 
was burned and his followers cruellv persecu- 
ted for holding the same views the Baptists 
do today. Let the "Lollards' Tower," standing 
there on the banks of the Thames, remain, a 
silent and glooms witness to the tortures and 
persecutions of the Lollards, and of the final 
triumph of truth. What was their crime? 
It w r as that they refused to exchange the com- 
mandments of the Bible for the bulls of Popes, 
or the traditions of Rome. For this William 
Somter was arrested and cruelly martyred. 
For this, one hundred worshippers were taken, 



OUT OF GREAT TRIBULATION. 97 

at St. Giles, in the very act of worship, 
arid all of them put to cruel death. 
For this, Sir John Oldcastle, than whom 
a grander hero England never knew, 
was arrested, condemned, his property 
confiscated, his family made paupers, and him- 
self, amid reproaches and insults, dragged to 
the Tyburn, where he was hung over a slow 
fire till he died. Still this hero never wavered. 
When the last spark of life was expiring, he 
warned the people to cling to the Bible, and 
with the words, "I die in triumph," his soul 
went to glory, leaving his dying words an ever 
enduring monument. "He was an Anabaptist, 
and deserved to die as a traitor," was the plas- 
ter which they put on the sore, the crime of his 
death made on their conscience. Still fearing, 
however, "lest these cursed Anabaptists" 
should continue to spread their heretical opin- 
ions, Parliament was induced to pass, among 
other measures for the suppression of heresy, 
the following: — "Whosoever shall read the 
Scriptures in English shall forfeit lands, chat- 
tels, goods and life, and be condemned as heret- 
ics. They shall be hanged for treason against 
the king, and then burned for heresy against 
God." Ah, me! it seems strange to us, who 
live under the stars and stripes of this glori- 
ous land, that such things could be; but we 
must remember, that was half a thousand 
years ago. 

JOHN WICKLIFfFlE. 

This Baptist reformer was born at Yorkshire 



98 THE PATHWAY OF FIRE. 

in 1324. He was educated at Oxford Univer- 
sity and took clerical orders. Brought under 
the convicting power of the Holy Spirit, he 
struggled through the darkness and came into 
the light of God's pardoning love. Going 
direct to the Bible, he studied out a system of 
theology, which made him, in doctrine and 
practice, a Baptist. He believed the Bible to 
be the only law in matters of religion. He 
believed the church to be a company of con- 
verted men and women. He believed that the 
state has no power, inherent, to control man's 
religious belief. He believed that baptism was 
an outward sign of inward grace, and should 
be administered to none, except such as pro- 
fess faith in Christ. All this goes to prove 
John Wickliffe a Baptist. 

On comparing his views with those of the 
Lollards, Wickliffe found them to agree in all 
essential particulars, and henceforward the 
Lollards and the Wickliffites may be traced as 
one people; traced, yea, even by the light of the 
martyr fires that consumed them, till the day 
when the act of toleration, "England's Magna 
charta" gave them liberty to worship God. 

Wickliffe Avas providentially preserved, and 
permitted to die a natural death; but forty 
vears later, his bones were taken from their 
graA^e, and burned, and their ashes scattered 
to the four winds. He fell, but as the banner 
of truth fell from his nerveless grasp, it was 
seized by that intrepid reformer, John Huss, 
and carried into Bohemia, where it waved until 



OUT OF GREAT TRIBULATION. 99 

the dawn of reformation broke upon the dark- 
ness of Europe. 

Thus have we traced the footprints of Bap- 
tist principles, from the time and place where 
and whence they were first proclaimed to man, 
in that city of Zion, by Christ and his Apostles, 
in accordance with the Divine prediction given 
by Isaiah. Guided, often by the light of mar- 
tyr fires, we have traced them through the 
Novatians in Italy, and the Donatists in Africa. 
We have seen those early christians persecuted, 
trodden under foot, and scattered, but carrying 
the seed of the gospel, only to plant it, wherever 
God should plant them. We have traced the 
same principles through the Paulicians and 
Bogomiles, into Armenia, where we found 
more than a hundred thousand martyr graves, 
containing the martyr dead of our brethren. 
From there we followed them to Thrace, from 
which we saw the light of a holy faith dawn 
on the waiting inhabitants of Bulgaria. We 
have traced them from there to Spain and 
France, and the secluded valleys that "lie 
peacefully at the base of the Alps, like an 
infant sleeping at its mother's feet." We have 
looked upon the red glare of the torch of death, 
as it waved its signal of destruction, and have 
seen the thousands of martyred slain, as they 
fell before the enemies of Christ and his church. 
We have turned from the bloody pathways of 
France and Spain, and followed the same foot- 
prints to Germany and Holland, the same 
reproachful name still clinging to their pro- 



100 THE PATHWAY OF FIRE. 

fessors. Then turning our steps to Britain, we 
have seen the same altar fires lighted there, 
and ere long, also, the red glare of the burning 
faggots, piled to burn up heresy has shone out 
from that sea-girt isle. We have followed 
those faithful ones to the mountain fastnesses 
of Wales, wmere, deep in those retreats of 
safety, they kept the ordinances as Christ gave 
them, until reformation's morning broke over 
that fair island, w T hen, like those on the conti- 
nent, they came forth to welcome the coming 
morn, and hail the day star at its rising. We 
have seen the same disappointment, as with 
saddened hearts, they turned again to their 
hiding places, to patiently wait until the Lord 
himself should raise the means by wmich they 
should obtain rest from their enemies round 
about. 

We have seen those people of one heart and 
one mind, the same in doctrinal belief, crossing 
and recrossing, mingling and intermingling, 
always holding fast to the same Bible truths, 
prophesying in sack cloth, "cast down but not 
destroyed," until, in God's good time, the 1260 
years was fulfilled, when alike to one and the 
other, the days of their sack cloth were ended. 



WHAT OF THE NIGHT? 101 



CHAPTER X. 



WHAT OF THE NIGHT? 
"Watchman, what of the night? " 

We have now traced the footprints of Bap- 
tist principles through two separate lines of 
travel, from the days of the Apostles till the 
reformation. With them both we have found 
the beginning and the ending of the twelve hun- 
dred and sixty years of their prophesying in 
sack cloth. 

We will now turn, once more, to the book of 
Revelation, and read the first three verses 
of the thirteenth chapter. Notice that this 
follows immediately after the measuring of 
the temple, the flight of the woman, and dur- 
ing the twelve hundred and sixty years, the 
witnesses were prophesying in sack cloth. 

What is the interpretation? The beast 
which John saw rising out of the sea was the 
persecuting spirit. It developed among the 
people, indicated by "the sea." The "seven 
heads and ten horns, " indicates the time and 
place of its first development. The seven- 
hilled city, in the days of the Eoman Kings. 
The dragon represents the temporal power, 
from whom the persecuting power receives its 
authority to persecute. "It had the feet of a 
bear, and the mouth of a lion;" the former sym- 
bolizing the Greek, and the latter the Roman 



102 THE PATHWAY OF FIRE. 

hierarchies. "The beast received a deadly 
wound, but the deadly wound was healed." 
This was fulfilled in the days of Cromwell and 
Charles II. Cromwell dissolved the long par- 
liament with his sword, and largely secured 
liberty of conscience, not only in England, 
but in much of Europe besides. On the day 
when the treaty of alliance was to be signed 
between England and France, news came of a 
terrific massacre in Piedmont. On learning 
this, Cromwell refused to sign the treaty till 
it contained a clause insuring religious liberty 
to that people; declaring that he was not only 
"protector of England, but of protestantism 
in Europe." He w^rote to several of the kings, 
pleading for religious liberty for their subjects, 
and went so far as to intimate, that if not oth- 
erwise granted, he would enforce it with the 
sword. 

"But the deadly wound was healed." When 
about to see the realization of his hopes in se- 
curing liberty of conscience in all Europe, 
Cromwell "fell at the stroke of death." That 
licentious renegade and Catholic Charles II,was 
recalled to England and assumed the reins of 
government, with what result the student of 
history knows. The fires were rekindled, and 
the persecuting spirit again prevailed. 

Go back a hundred years. A star had risen 
over Germany, a light had shown from Wit- 
tenburg. Luther had nailed his ;hesis to the 
door of his church, and thrown the gauntlet 
at Kome's very feet. His voice had reached the 



WHAT OF THE NIGHT? 103 

waiting thousands of God's suffering saints, 
and they came pouring forth from their secret 
places where they had worshipped God, in the 
hope that Luther would accept their sympathy 
and aid, and the reformation be made complete. 
Had Luther and his co-reformers but gone one 
step farther — had they but placed liberty of 
conscience by the side of justification by faith, 
the result would have been to lift the dark pall 
of religious persecution from the whole of Europe 
— Luther would have been a hundred times the 
htro he was, the fires of Smithfield would 
not have been relighted, and the world would 
be an hundred fold better for it today. But 
alas, for Luther! Great as he was, and grand 
as was his work, he missed the golden opportu- 
nity of the world's hi.tory. Alas, for those 
suffering, persecuted Baptists! Luther soon 
gave them to understand that justification by 
faith was one thing, and liberty of conscience 
was another. Saddened, disappointed, broken- 
hearted, they returned to their homes in the 
mountains and valleys, to await till the perse- 
cuting monster should be slain. They had gone 
to Erasmus with their sympathy, but he had 
scorned them because their were Anabaptists. 
Even the gentle spirited Melancthon gave 
them neither sympathy nor hope. 

Let this fact be stated, in such bold charac- 
ters that he that runs may read it. The reform- 
ation did not give, even in Germany, freedom 
to worship God. It was not till the war in the 
Netherlands, and the establishment of the 



104 THE PATHWAY OF FIRE. 

Dutch Bepublic that the persecuting power of 
Borne was broken on the continent, and not 
till the crowning of William and Mary, and the 
battle of the Boyne, that it was broken in Great 
Britain; the latter more than a century after 
the light of the reformation had first dawned 
on Europe. 

We now come to what, at present, especially 
to southern Baptists, is the most important pe- 
riod of our history. It is that covered by what 
is known as the "Whitsitt controversy." TJiis 
little book is not intended, either as a Baptist 
history, or as an answer to Dr. Whitsitt; the 
purpose being simply to trace a line of doctrin- 
al principles. At the same time the reader 
will, no doubt, expect some notice to be taken 
of this question, and will feel a sense of disap- 
pointment if it is ignored. This is mjy only 
reason for trying to clear away, so far as I can, 
the doubt and uncertainty that hangs over this 
period. 

I have not the pleasure of a personal ac- 
quaintance of Dr. Whitsitt, but from all I 
have learned, I conclude that the manliness of 
his character, the sweetness of his christian 
spirit, the fervor of his piety, the honesty of 
his motive and purpose, in all his life work, 
hitherto manifested, should preclude any 
charge of dishonesty, or deliberate unfaithful- 
ness to his high trust. I believe he has made 
a mistake, but I am glad to believe it to be a 
mistake of the head and not of the neart. * 

I think th e mistake wa s two-f o ld. First— 

* This was written before Bro. W. stated the same in the 
Baptist Reflector. 



WHAT OF THE NIGHT V 105 

lie is mistaken in the conclusion which he has 
drawn from the facts stated. Second — In the 
method he adopted of putting his conclusion 
before the public, I think I can appreciate the 
thought that prompted the action. He hon- 
estly believed his conclusion to be correct, and, 
believing this, he saw no reason why everybody 
should not be made acquainted with it. He 
overlooked, however, this fact. There is a 
wide difference between a conclusion or infer- 
ence drawn from a set of facts, and an estab- 
but until it is plainly established, beyond the 
lished truth. The inference may be correct; 
power of denial, it is only an inference, and 
not an established truth. In view of the fact 
that his inference was in direct opposition to 
the established belief of his denomination for 
two hundred years, it was unfortunate that he 
did not first make known his inference to the 
denomination, of which he was a loved and 
trusted member, and let it first become an es- 
tablished truth, before giving it to the world. 
The Baptists cannot be blamed for being sen- 
sitive on any question involving their alle- 
giance to Christ, or the stability of their ordi- 
nances; and they are quick to challenge any 
statement, from whatever sorce, that throws 
any doubt on the Scriptural validity of their 
baptism. For nearly nineteen centuries this 
has been their attitude, and from it they have nev- 
ej swerved, even though it has led hundreds of 
thousands of them to prison and to death. 
Surely, they cannot be expected to surrender it 



106 THE PATHWAY Uo FIRE. 

now, without proof of their mistake, that will 
not admit of a doubt. All this I write with 
the most kindly feeling, as ready to accord to 
Dr. Whitsitt honesty of intention, as I am firm 
in my belief that he w T as mistaken. 

The careful reader of these pages will, doubt- 
less, have discovered, what it may be unnec- 
essary to repeat, that it makes not the slight- 
est difference with our ability to trace an un- 
broken line of Baptist principles from the Apos- 
tles dow T n, whether Dr. Whitsitt's inference be 
correct, or incorrect. I have already shown 
that by tw T o distinct lines, we are able to trace 
our principles to England, viz: — Through the 
Yoidois, Albigenses and Waldenses; and also 
through the Dutch Baptists of Holland. 

The fire carried to England, by Lollard, and 
fanned into a mighty flame by his followers and 
the Wickliffites never became fully extin- 
guished. They were, without doubt, still in 
England, when, in 1633, the brethren referred 
to in the "Kiffin Manuscript" sent to Holland 
and received baptism from the Dutch Mennon- 
ite Baptists. It is, however, through these 
latter that we trace our American Baptists, 
in their line of descent. 

Let us now study this period a little more 
carefully, and see if the facts justify Dr. Whit- 
sitt's conclusion, that immersion had become 
extinct in England previous to 1641. Certain- 
ly, if immersion had become extinct, Baptists 
had also; for to talk of Baptists who do not 
immerse, is the height of absurdity. I think 



WHAT OF THE NIGHT? 107 

it can be shown that neither the one nor the 
other had become extinct. 

Had Dr. Whitsitt said that Pedo-Baptist 
adult immersion had become extinct at that 
date, he would have been correct; but had he 
said that Pedobaptist immersion had become 
extinct, even then he w T ould have been incor- 
rect. If it be claimed that Dr. Whitsitt' & 
statement disproves the fact of Scriptural im- 
mersion, at least in England, at the period men- 
tioned, I answer w r ith these two facts: First, 
by the testimony of the most learned Pedo- 
baptists, who have made the most careful in- 
vestigation, it is proved that immersion w r as 
the universal custom for fully thirteen centu- 
ries; and, Second, that in the sixteenth cen- 
tury, so general was the practice of immer- 
sion in England, that Elizabeth, first born 
child of Henry VIII, and Anna Bolynn, was 
publicly immersed, September 11th, 1533, or 
just one hundred years before those brethren re- 
ferred to by Dr. Whitsitt, sent to Holland for it. 
Four years from the above date, Edward, the 
royal son, was carried to their church, and there 
publicly immersed also. If, then, immersion 
had become so lost in England that Baptists 
could not find it, how came it to be so popular, 
that even Pedobaptist royalty must needs ob- 
serve it publicly in the immersion of the king's 
children? The truth is that, while in the En- 
glish, as well as other reformed churches, 
believers' baptism, had been almost univer- 
sally replaced by infant baptism, immersion 



10S THE PATHWAY OF, FIRE. 

was still the prevailing custom, in England; so 
much so, that, by a decree of Queen Elizabeth, 
fonts for the immersion of infants were put in 
all the prominent buildings of the English 
state church, and the priests were forbidden 
by law to perform baptism in any other way. 

Henry VIII seceded from Rome, and be- 
came head of the church of England in 1534. 
This led many of the Baptists on the continent 
to hope for liberty of conscience in England, 
and go to that country. In this they w r ere 
mistaken. A proclamation was issued against 
"Those strangers, born out of the land, who 
are come into this realm, who, albeit, they 
were baptised in infancy, they have, of their 
own presumption, been rebaptised;" and so 
numerous were these people that a creed was 
drawn up for them to sign. This creed differs 
in many particulars from the belief of the 
Baptists, except that the mode of baptism is 
not mentioned, a fact, proving conclusively, 
that immersion had not yet come to be dis- 
puted. 

In 1539 milder measures were resorted to by 
Henry, and as a result, great numbers of Bap- 
tists, from various parts of the continent took 
refuge in England, and at once began active 
missionary operations. Of these people — 
Fuller, the historian, declared, "They are but 
the Donatists new dipped;" proving not only 
that they immersed, but that they held to the 
ancient Baptist faith. 

In 1547 Henry died, leaving Edward VI, 



WHAT OF THE NIGHT? 109 

then only nine years old at the head of the gov- 
ernment. His advisors being more liberal in 
their views, milder measures prevailed, "Per- 
secution ceased, prison doors were thrown 
open, and many refugees returned." Others 
came from other parts, so that by 1554, the 
Baptists had become so numerous, it was 
found necessary to resort to severer measures 
for their suppression. A commission was 
therefore instituted, with instructions to hunt 
out all Baptists, and if they refused to re- 
nounce their Baptist faith, they were to be 
given over to the secular power to be pun- 
ished. It was admitted that they were good, 
honest citizens, and pure christians, and that 
there lives were without reproach, but their 
crime was that of standing bv the teaching of 
Christ, in spite of the requirement of the 
king. 

Edw^ard died July 6th, and on October 1st, 
of the same year, Mary was crowned. Her 
first act was to restore, so far as possible, the 
power and authority of the Pope. Her second, 
to institute a bitter and cruel persecution 
against the Lollards. She appointed a royal 
commission to hunt them out, destroy their 
conventicles, burn their printing presses, and 
do all possible to prevent the spread of their 
doctrines. 

Fortunately, she was only permitted to reign 
five years, but in that period she wrote her 
history in blood. No less than 277 martyrs 



110 THE PATHWAY OP FIRE. 

were cruelly put to death by her orders, or 
more than an average of one every week, for 
her entire reign. 

On the death of Mary, Elizabeth was 
crowned, and many fancied that the reign of 
persecution was over. She at once issued a 
proclamation, inviting all who had been ban- 
ished on account of religion to return. Very 
many accepted the invitation, both Baptists 
and other dissenters, who had fled to Geneva, 
Switzerland, and had there learned the prac- 
tice of sprinkling, which, by that time had 
become quite common among the Swiss, 
although it had not yet obtained a foothold in 
England. On returning, they introduced it in 
England, but these were not Baptists, but per- 
sons who had imbibed the doctrines of Cal- 
vin. So far from immersion being extinct 
in England at that date, this is the first 
authenticated mention of any other mode; and 
it was at once forbidden by the queen and the 
bishops, and a decree issued that nothing but 
immersion would be practiced, unless in case 
of extreme weakness, when it would suffice to 
pour water on the child. 

The truth is, the constant changes of atti- 
tude on the part of the rulers towards the Bap- 
tists — now tolerating them, now persecuting 
them, only to return to toleration again, long 
enough to inspire hone, then again enacting cru- 
el and oppressive measures, so saddened and dis- 
heartened the Baptists, as to preclude any very 
active measures for the spread of their prin- 



WHAT OF THE NIGHT V 111 

ciples. Add to this the fact, that Elizabeth, 
during her reign, issued against them no less 
than three decrees of banishment, and that 
those repressive measures were vigorously en- 
forced by Elizabeth's two successors, and it is 
not to be wondered at, if Baptists and immer- 
sion do not stand out very prominently during 
this period of England's history. There were 
plenty of Baptists, and plenty of immersion 
there; but, as their bitter enemy, Dr. Featley 
puts it, "By the diligence of the magistrates, 
and the ecclesiastics, they were kept covered" 
— that is, suppressed, so that they, of course, 
do not prominently stand out during that 
period. 

Parliament had made Henry the head of the 
church. Mary had made the pope head, when 
Henry died, and Elizabeth made herself the 
head, and all, like Saul the Pharisee, honestly 
believed they were doing God's service, when 
they were persecuting the Baptists. 

"As a result of the tyranical spirit of Luth- 
er, in Germany," says Mosheim, "schools of 
German Baptists had passed into Holland and 
the Netherlands, where they had propagated 
their sentiments in various places." A great 
many of these passed into England, and began 
missionary operations there, with great suc- 
cess. This was too much for the queen and 
bishops, and a decree was issued requiring all 
Baptists to leave the realm within twenty-one 
days. This was in 1560; and in 1595 a still 



112 THE PATHWAY OF FIRE. 

more severe decree was issued, commanding all 
Anabaptists, and other heretics, whether for- 
eigners or natives, to leave the realm under 
severest penalties. By this time the war in 
the Netherlands, had resulted in the establish- 
ment of the Dutch republic, with Ilbert- of con- 
science as one of its basic principles; and 
many Baptists took refuge there, resulting in 
opening a still wider channel of communica- 
tion between the Baptists of the two countries. 
No doubt many remained in England, prefer- 
ring to worship God in secret than to suffer 
banishment, hopin^ and waiting for God to 
come to their deliverance in his ow x n good time. 
But even then, Baptists were not, by any 
means, extinct in England. This is proved by 
the hosts of them that came out into the light, 
when the ban was again lifted. 

This was the condition of things at the open- 
ing of the sixteenth century. In 1602 Eliza- 
beth closed her reign, and was succeeded by 
James the Second, and he by Charles the First. 
The repressive measures of Elizabeth were not 
quite so vigorously enforced by James the 
Second, and still further lightened by his suc- 
cessor. As a consequence Baptists not only 
retained their hold in England, but soon began 
to increase; so much so that ir&»1611 we find 
the Baptists who had returned from Holland 
publishing a confession of faith containing 
twenty-seven articles, representing the views 
of the General Baptists. It should be stated 



WHAT OF THE NIGHT? 113 

here that by this time the Baptists of England 
had become recognized as "General" and "Par- 
ticular" Baptists; the former holding to the 
doctrine of the general atonement, the latter to 
the Calvanistic view, or particular atonement. 
About this period Edward Wightman was con- 
demned and burned for holding to the doctrine 
of the Dutch Baptists. In 1615 the Baptists 
published a small book condemning persecu- 
tion, and subscribing themselves as "Christ's 
unworthy witnesses, commonly but falsely 
called Anabaptists." In 1620 they sent an ear- 
nest petition to the king and parliament, in 
which they refer to having "suffered imprison- 
ment for many years in divers counties of Eng- 
land." 

This brings us down to 1633, the time when 
the church referred to by Dr. Whitsett, sent to 
Holland "to secure the ancient rite of immer- 
sion." This church was composed of fifty-three 
members who had, in a body, separated them- 
selves from the Independents, or Brownists, 
and decided to organize themselves into a Bap- 
tist church . In order to be certain of securing 
their immersion from the line of the "ancient 
Baptists," as they termed them, they sent their 
pastor to Holland to be immersed there; and 
he, on his return, immersed the rest, thus se- 
curing through the Holland Baptists their 
immersion in a direct line from the Apostles. 

Now, so far from condemning those breth- 
ren for their action, I think it highly commend- 



114 THE PATHWAY OF FIRE. 

able; but does it prove that either Baptists 
or immersion had become extinct at that time? 
Most certainly not. Neither the document re- 
ferred to by Dr. Whitsitt — the "Kiffin manu- 
script," nor the facts as they existed, warrants 
any such conclusion. All the document states 
is that "So far as these brethren knew there 
were none whose immersion would be satis- 
factory to them; not being certain wmether 
they had retained the ancient rite or had be- 
gun it again." Dr. Whitsitt's opinion that 
"the reason for sending to Holland was be- 
cause immersion had become extinct in Eng- 
land," is not only unsupported but is at vari- 
ance with the facts . 

Holland had given liberty of conscience in 
1679, or one hundred and eleven years before 
it obtained in England. During all the time 
from 1579 to 1640 there had been a constant 
coming and going betw T een the Baptists of the 
two countries; Holland being the refuge of the 
English Baptists wmenever banished from their 
own country. There were thus a thousand 
chances for the Baptists of England to connect 
themselves with the ancient baptism of the 
Dutch, or Mennonite Baptists. Where then 
was the difficulty? Simply here. Those breth- 
ren, coining out, as they did, from the Brown- 
ists, w r ere entirely unacquainted with the Bap- 
tists of England. They knew of the decrees of 
banishment against them. They knew of the 
laws for their suppression. They knew how 
they had been kept "covered," as their enemies 



WHAT OF THE NIGHT? 115 

boasted, and their worship, their baptisms, a 
their very names having to be kept secret. 
There w r ere plenty of Baptists, and plenty of 
immersion in England, only those brethren 
did not have sufficient knowledge of them to be 
certain whether they had retained the ancient 
form or been compelled to begin it again after 
the ban was lifted. The fact that they knew 
so much about the Holland Baptists and their 
immersion is explained by the other fact that 
in Holland the Baptists had already had relig- 
ious liberty for half a century. That is all 
there is in the Kiffin manuscript, and the fact 
therein related about which so much has been 
said and written. 

Tf well attested facts are any evidence mat 
neither BajHists nor immersion was extinet in 
England during the period referred to, it is as 
fully proven, as that there are Baptists today 
in Tennessee. This is proven by the follow- 
ing facts, additional to those already given. 
In 1536, complaint was made that certain per- 
sons, who had been baptised in their infancy, 
had renounced their former baptism, and been 
rebaptized. In 1533, the Baptists "did very 
much to pester the church, and openly dispute 
in public places." In 1547, Henry VIII died, 
hating put to death, by his orders or permis- 
sion, 72,000 persons. These were not his own 
people. Who were they? 

In 1549, complaint was made that Baptists 
were in many parts of England, one man report- 



116 THE PATHWAY 0E FIKE. 

ing that he knew of five hundred in one town. 
In 1573, a meeting being held by a church of 
the Dutch Baptists ,at Aldergate, in London, 
was broken up, and twenty-seven of the wor- 
shipers were committed to prison, and, after- 
wards, some of them were burned at Smith- 
field. In 1583, a very large church of Dutch 
Baptists was know^n to exist at Norwich. In 
1618, there was published in England a little 
book entitled "A Treatise on Baptism." It was 
translated from the Dutch language. In 1620 
the Baptists came out openly and made an ap- 
peal, setting forth their reasons for leaving the 
established church. In 1641 a meeting was 
held in Southwark, in which eighty Baptists 
passed a resolution that the magistrate was 
only to be obeyed in civil matters. In 1641, 
one Barber published a small book against in- 
fant baptism,for which he was imprisoned for 11 
months. In 1642 very bitter complaint was 
made that the Baptists were dipping hundreds 
of people over head and ears. By this time 
there were seven Baptist churches in London, 
and forty-seven in the country. It is surely 
unnecessary to pursue the subect further, to 
convince the reader that Dr. Whitsitt is mis- 
taken in his conclusion that immersion was 
extinct in England in 1641. 

I have not had the opportunity of reading 
the Doctor's article in Johnson's Encyclopedia, 
nor the St. George pamphlets to which he 
refers, and have therefore confined myself to 



WHAT OF THE NIGHT? 117 

such statements as I have read from his own 
pen. But, if on investigation, the St. George 
pamphlets afford no more positive proof than 
the Doctor in his position, than that which I 
have so far seen, Baptists need not in the least 
worry over the result. Indeed, I confidently 
predict that in the end this matter will very 
greatly result in benefit to our denomination. 
We will next trace our principles across the 
Atlantic, and see them planted in the New 
World. 



^>^^^^&^f<^ 



118 THE PATHWAY OF FIRE. 



CHAPTEE XI. 

"AN AEMY WITH BANNERS." 

"In the name of our God we will set up our banners." 

To trace the history of the rise and progress 
of Baptist principles in America would require 
many volumes. All I propose here is to give 
an authentic statement of their first planting, 
some account of their early trials, and close 
with a few facts and figures, indicating their 
present standing and influence as a denomina- 
tion. 

I have stated in a former chapter that the 
Baptists of this country do not owe their origin 
to Roger Williams. Neither he nor the church 
he organized has any connection with American 
Baptist history, except that it was organized, 
existed four months, and then dissolved, with- 
out leaving anything to perpetuate the work it 
had done. We must look elsewhere for the 
beginning of our people in this country. 

When the Puritans embarked on board the 
Mayflower, and turned her prow toward the 
New World, "What sought they? Freedom to 
worship God." But they overlooked — or, per- 
haps it were better to say, they had not yet 
come to apprehend one great fact. That is, 
that liberty of conscience can never exist, in 
common with the right of the state to control 
•c\ man in his doctrine and worship. Establish 



AX ARMY WITH BANNERS. 119 

either one and yon are bound to destroy the 
other. This was the mistake of Luther; this 
was the mistake of the Pilgrim Fathers. 

It is not, therefore, to be wondered at, if we 
find that the history of the early Baptists of 
America follows that of their forefather* and 
marks a pathway of fire. Baptists have known 
what religious persecution was even in free 
America . Fines and imprisonments were com- 
mon in the early days as well as acts for the 
suppression of the Anabaptists passed by the 
Colonial Legislatures. One of the most sub- 
lime scenes ever enacted on the American con- 
tinent was enacted in Virginia at the trial of 
Lewis Craig, Joseph Craig and Aaron Bledsoe 
for the crime of preaching the gospel of the 
Son of God. The Court had assembled. The 
j> dge was in his seat; the prisoners at the bar 
and the clerk reading the indictment, when 
Patrick Henry entered, having ridden on horse- 
back sixty miles to volunteer his services in 
defense of the prisoners. After the King's 
attorney had presented the case, Patrick Henry 
arose, and taking the indictment, he said: 
"May it please the court, I think I heard this 
paper read by the prosecutor as I entered this 
court. Did I hear it distinctly, or was it a mis- 
take of my own? If I heard rightly, these men 
are about to be tried for a crime. What is 
that crime?" Pausing a moment, he repeated 
it — slowly and in most solemn tones, "For 
preaching the gospel of the Son of God." 



120 THE PATHWAY OP FIRE. 

Pausing again, he waved the paper three times 
around his head, and lifting his hands and eyes 
toward heaven, he cried out, "Great God!" 
Then in a speech that, for deep pathos, burn- 
ing eloquence and convincing power has never 
been excelled, he laid down the principles of 
soul-freedom. The judge looked solemn, the 
clerk looked pale, and the King's attorney 
shook like an aspen, and the assembly was 
being worked up to a point beyond self control, 
when the judge ended the scene by shouting, 
"Sheriff, discharge those men." This was in 
Virginia, where a hundred years previous, a 
law T had been passed, imposing a fine of tw^o 
hundred pounds of tobacco upon any person 
who should refuse to carry his child to the 
parson for baptism. 

In New England the Baptists fared no bet- 
ter. The statutes enacted, and the testimony 
of early writers prove conclusively that there 
were Baptists in New England some time 
before Roger Williams founded his Rhode 
Island Colony. As early as 1643, or only 
twenty-three years after the Puritans had 
landed at Plymouth, we find a colonial enact- 
ment for the suppression of "the Anabaptists." 
This act recites that those Anabaptists had 
appeared among them "Since their coming to 
New England;" and Cotton Mather speaks of 
some "Godly Anabaptists who had been with 
them" — the Puritans — "from the beginning." 

The first Baptist churches that I have been 



AN ARMY WITH BANNERS. 121 

able to find, whose history can be traced, are 
two; both organized in 1638. One by Hanserd 
Knollys, and the other by John Clark, and in 
1639 six men were arrested for organizing a 
Baptist church atWeyniouth, fourteen miles 
south of Boston. Knollys and Clark came to 
America from England, the former remaining 
but three years, so that but little is known of 
the church which he founded. The church 
founded by John Clark, it is claimed, has had an 
unbroken existence from that period until now, 
so that the old Baptist church at Newport can 
proudly say, and with good reason, "I am the 
mother of you all." 

There is some question, however, whether 
this church was organized in 1638 or 1639. 
Two facts I think are sufficient to settle this 
question. The first is, that in the minutes of 
the Philadelphia Association, there is a record 
still preserved, stating that John Callender, in 
1738 preached the one hundredth anniversary 
sermon of the organization of the First Bap- 
tist Church of Rhode Island. The second is, 
that the monument erected to the memory of 
John Clark contains an inscription which 
recites that Clark came to Newport in March, 
1638, and that shortly after viz. the 24th of 
the same month, obtained a deed of land from 
the Indians, and shortly after that gathered a 
church and became its pastor. From all the 
evidences I have thus been able to consult, I 
think it may be safelv affirmed that th? first 



122 THE PATHWAY OF FIRE. 

Baptist church of America, whose history we 
can now trace, was organized by John Clark 
and his associates, at Newport, Khode Island, 
in 1638. Other churches went out from this, 
but the progress was slow for several years, 
owing to the severe repressive measures, to 
prevent the spread of Baptist principles. 
Other Baptists in time came in, from both Hol- 
land and England, so that the American Bap- 
tists can rightly claim their descent from the 
Baptists of England and Holland, and through 
them trace an unbroken line of principles, back 
through those ancient bodies, whose brief his- 
tory I have here given, directly to the churches 
founded by Christ and his Apostles. 

A single reference to a few figures, showing 
the growth of our denomination and its present 
strength, and our task will be finished. 

The Baptist year book for 1895, published by 
the American Baptist Publication Society, 
which by the way, is a most valuable book, and 
should be in every Baptist family, gives us the 
following figures, which should be studied with 
deep interest, and call for devout gratitude. 

In the United States we have the following: 

Associations,l,551 ; ministers,27,771 ;churches 
40,061; baptised last year, 176,058; total 
membership, 3,720,235. Children in Sunday 
schools, 1,779,886. Money raised for all 
denominational purposes, |11,755,118. The 
present membership of our Baptist churches is 
about equal to the entire population of the col- 



AN ARMY WITH BANNERS. 1*23 

onies at the declaration of independence. 

In educational institutions, we have seven 
theological seminaries, with sixty-seven in- 
structors, 1002 pupils, 990 preparing for the 
ministry. Value of their property is $3,774,- 
850. These seminaries have endowments 
amounting to $2,665,091. 

In universities and colleges, w T e have — Insti- 
tutions, 37; teachers, 807; endowment, 
$13,238,519. Value of property, $22,722,163. 
In female seminaries, 29 institutions; 370 pro- 
fessors, 3,821 pupils; $1,218,885 endowment, 
and property valued at $4,063,297. 

Of other schools for both sexes, or males 
cnly, we have: 64 institutions, 530 professors, 
14,341 students; value of endowment $1,344,- 
700. Value of property, $4,167,730. For the 
education of negroes and Indians, we have: 
institutions, 33; teachers, 293. Endowments, 
$117,500. Value of property, $1,398,830. This 
gives us a grand total of 169 institutions of 
learning, with 2,067 professors; 36,016 stu- 
dents. Value of endowment, $18,614, 695, and 
value of school property, $36, 126, 870. 

The Baptists of the world number: churches, 
46,520, with a total membership of 4,447,074. 

During the year 1895, the Baptists of the 
United States raised for religious purposes $11,- 
755,118, of which $1,172,909 was for missions. 

Surely, the little one has become a thou- 
sand, and the small one a strong nation. To 
God be all the glory. 



124 THE PATHWAY OF FIRE. 



APPENDIX. 

Much of the material incorporated in the 
body of this little pamphlet has lain by me for 
some years. Years ago I became an enthusi- 
astic student of Baptist History, and have dil- 
igently continued it, with such sources of in- 
formation as I could, in my limited way, 
secure. Besides such secular histories as 
would aid nie,nota.bly,GibboiL , s, I have read the 
church histories of Mosheim, Neander, Wad- 
dington, Jones and Schaff. Of Baptist Histo- 
ries, Benedict, Armitage, Cramp, W. R. Will- 
iams, Orchard, "Foreign" and "Engiish"Bap- 
tists, and most of the smaller works that have 
come in my way. I have consulted and com- 
pared the articles bearing on the subject in 
most of the cyclopaedias, and, in fact, sought 
such information, from any source possible, 
as I thought would aid me, in arriving at tne 
truth concerning the people whose history I 
have so much delighted to study. 

As I intended the book for popular reading, 
in the hands of the masses, I have thought it 
best to take the facts and ideas of the various 
authors consulted, and clothe them in my own 
language, rather than to give literal quota- 
tions, with name and page of author. Where 
literal quotations are given they are properly 



APrENDIX. 125 

indicated. It has been, withal, my earnest 
desire to have the facts stated historically cor- 
rect. 

Up to the time of what is now known as the 
"Whitsitt Controversy," I had no doubt what- 
ever of the perfect reliability of the various 
authors I had studied, although, in some minor 
particulars, they somewhat differed from one 
another. 

It was not until my pamphlet was in the 
hands of my publishers, that I learned that our 
esteemed brother, Kev. Dr. Whitsitt, was pre- 
paring, and would soon publish, a book that 
would, undoubtedly, throw much new light on 
this whole subject. On learning this, I 
resolved, at once, to hold my own book back 
until I could secure his, and give it a most care- 
ful reading; and if, after reading his book, it 
should seem necessary, I would either re-write 
mine, or cancel the order for publication, even 
though I had paid for it mostly in advance. 
However, after giving Brother Whitsitt' s book 
two most careful readings, I can find in it no 
reason why my own should not be given to the 
public — more especially as it lavs no claim to 
being more than a simple effort to trace Bap- 
tist principles, rather than to give a history of 
the Baptist denomination. 

In this connection I want to add a few words 
with reference to the reliabilty of those authors 
I have studied; especially "Orchard's History 
of the English Baptists." I believed those au- 
thors to be fairly reliable, and I am glad to be 



126 THE PATHWAY OP FIRE. 

able to write that, so far, I have found no cause 
to change my opinion. While Dr. Whitsitt did 
not intend to write of the early Baptists, his 
brief references thereto do not, in any w T ay, 
conflict with what has heretofore been written. 

I am aware that some doubt has been sug- 
gested as to the reliability of "Orchard's His- 
tory." The author of that work has gone to 
his reward, and is no longer here to answer 
for himself. It seems meet, therefore, that I 
should add a few words in his defense. 

I have never read any suggestion of doubt as 
to his honesty, either of motive or methods. 
This fact admitted, what are the other facts? 
Dr. Orchard was born, lived and died in the 
very land where all these historical events oc- 
curred. I refer now to the English Baptists. 
If our American authors spent "several 
months" studying historical data in England, 
Dr. Orchard spent thirty years in the same 
study. If they had ready access to the British 
Museum, the Bodlein Library, and other valu- 
able sources of information, Orchard not only 
had the same, but he availed himself of it to 
the fullest extent. There is no source of in- 
formation open to them that was not open to 
him; and none of which he did not, so far as I 
can learn, avail himself, unless it was the tes- 
timony furnished by Professor Scheffer, of 
Amsterdam, and on which, truth compels me 
to say, I do not place as much reliance as does 
Brother Whitsitt, for reasons which I will 
intimate further on. Indeed, after carefully 



APPENDIX. 127 

comparing Orchard's book with that of Dr. 
Whitsitt, I am more fully impressed than be- 
fore with the reliability of the former. They 
quote, largely, the same authorities, give the 
same dates and state the same facts. The 
greatest difference is in the conclusion which 
they draw from the facts stated. 

Now, as to Brother Whitsitt's book, I have 
no intention of giving a review of it, or of doing 
more than to give briefly the reasons why I 
cannot agree with the author, in the position 
he has taken, leaving to others of far greater 
ability to review the book, as they may feel it 
to be duty. 

So far as I shall go, I shall try to write hon- 
estly and fearlessly, seeking only to satisfy my 
own judgment and conscience, regardless of 
kow much others may agree with, or differ 
from me. 

As to the controversy that has grown out of 
the "Whitsitt Matter," I am convinced that 
Dr. Whitsitt has been seriously misunderstood, 
and, as a result, without intending it, much 
misrepresented. Indeed, "A Tempest in a Tea- 
pot," on a large scale, will best express the idea 
T have regarding this great controversy. So 
far as the book is concerned, there is nothing in 
i: to invalidate the Doctor's claim to being a 
Sound Baptist. The whole issue is narrowed 
down to this single question. Did, or did not 
believer's immersion become extinct in Eng- 
land, for a longer or shorter period prior to 
1641? So far as affecting Baptist descent 



128 THE PATHWAY OF FIRE. 

goes, what does it matter whether it did or did 
not? It is admitted that Baptists existed else- 
where, and that believers' immersion was prac- 
ticed by John, commanded by Christ, and has 
continued from the Apostolic age till now. 
Here is the bold declaration of Dr. Whitsitt in 
the very first paragraph of his introduction: 
"Immersion, as a religious rite, was practiced 
by John the Baptist about the year 30, of our 
era, and w r as solemnly enjoined by our Saviour 
on all His ministers till the end of time. No 
other observance was in use for baptism in 
New Testament times. The practice, though 
scmetimes greatly perverted, has yet been con- 
tinued from the Apostolic age down to our 
own. As I understand the Scriptures, immer- 
sion is essential to Christian baptism." 

This settles the question as to the soundness 
of Dr. Whitsitt's views on believers' baptism. 
Hereafter, while the above declaration stands, 
let no one quote Dr. Whitsitt as authoritv for 
the statement that "Immersion as a Christian 
ordinance was unknown prior to 1641." He has 
made no such statement as that, and hereafter 
to repeat it will be willful and wicked misrep- 
resentation. 

This being true, Baptists could admit all 
that Dr. Whitsitt claims, without, in the least, 
weakening their claim to Apostolic antiquity, 
or losening a single stone in the solid founda- 
tion on which their New Testament practice 
rests. Suppose, if such a thing could be, that 
a hundred years from now, some one, in writ- 



APPENDIX. 12<j 

ir>g a history of American Baptists, should 
make the discovery that, from 1750 to 1850, 
there was not a Baptist, nor a believers' im- 
mersion in the state of Tennessee — what differ- 
ence would that make with our American Bap- 
tist history, beyond the fact, that, while all the 
rest of the United States had thousands of Bap- 
tists, Tennessee was, for a hundred years, with- 
out the blessing of the New Testament practice? 
So in this case. The question is not whether 
there still existed believers' baptism, in the 
manner required by Scripture, but whether in 
that little piece of territory called England it 
existed during the short period referred to. 

I am convincd that if Dr. Whitsitt's claim, 
with proper explanation, had been admitted by 
all, it would have done our denomination far 
less injury than the unfortunate controversy 
that has grown out of the matter. All this, 
however, only in the interest of truth, without 
in the least impugning the motives or action 
of those brethren, who, lijie myself, as honestly 
believe Dr. Whitsitt to be wrong, as he believes 
himself to be right. 

Concerning the Doctor's position, and the 
evidence he has produced to establish it, I be- 
lieve every unprejudiced reader will cheerfully 
grant him this much: 

1. That he honestly believes the position he 
has taken to be correct; and that he is so con- 
vinced by the testimony he has furnished. 

2. That he honestly believes the testimony 
sufficient to convince anvone else who is not 



130 THE PATHWAY OF FIRE. 

wedded to a preconceived opinion to the con- 
trary. That he honestly believes all this, no 
man who reads his book without prejudice can 
doubt. This much in justice to Brother Whit- 
sitt. 

And yet, as honestly desiring to have the 
truth, as Brother Whitsitt possibly can be, I 
am compelled to differ from him, and strongly 
dissent from the conclusion he drawls from the 
testimony he has furnished. So far from be- 
ing convinced — and I was certainly not preju- 
diced in my reading, for my sympathy w^as with 
Brother Whitsitt — after giving his book two 
most careful readings, studying it the last time, 
paragraph by paragraph, I find myself differing 
from him more strongly than before 

I am conscious that this is a strong state- 
ment — nay almost presumptions — to be made 
by a humble preacher, touching the position of 
one so learned, so w T ell read, and, in every w^ay 
so much my superior as Dr. Whitsitt; but 1 
have very much misread the kind disposition 
and liberal spirit of our brother if he does not 
cheerfully concede to the humblest of his breth- 
ren the same privilege of free thought and free 
speech that he asks for himself. 

Having stated so frankly my disagreement 
with Brother Whitsitt, I am in duty bound to 
give, w r ith reasonable plainness, the reasons for 
such disagreement. 

It should be borne in mind here, that all men 
are n®t impressed in the same way by the same 
facts. It takes more to convince some men 



APPENDIX. 131 

than it does others, of the truth of a given 
statement. I have no doubt that some who have 
withheld their decision till they have read 
Brother TVhitsitt's book, are now fully con- 
vinced that he has made out his case; while 
others, equally honest, will, I doubt not, be as 
fully convinced that he has failed to maintain 
the claim he so confidently put forward. 

It would be presumption on my part, and 
prove me guilty of self-conceit, were I to pre- 
tend to be as well posted in these historical mat- 
ters as my brother is, and so, in giving my rea- 
sons for differing from him, I shall confine my- 
self exclusively to his book, entirely ignoring 
all evidence elsewhere found. 

The issue, as I understand it, is this: Dr. 
Whitsitt affirms that prior to 1641, believers' 
immersion had become utterly extinct in Eng- 
land; and the purpose of his book is to give the 
evidence to prove it. The question then is, 
does the evidence he has given prove his state- 
ment true, beyond a reasonable doubt? This 
is what he is bound to do, to maintain the posi- 
tion he has taken. 

It is a universal rule in evidence, that a 
thing or fact, once existing, is assumed to con- 
tinue to exist, unless there is positive proof 
that it has ceased to exist. In such a case, cir- 
cumstantial evidence is not admissable. The 
proof must be clear, positive and convincing, es- 
tablishing the fact beyond the possibility of 
a reasonable doubt. 

In applying this rule to the issue under con- 



18 ] THE PATHWAY OF FIRE. 

sideration, let us, first, inquire whether immer- 
sion did exist in England prior to 1641, and if 
there is a reasonable probability of its having 
continued; and second, notice the testimony on 
which Dr. Whitsitt relies to establish the fact 
of its extinction. 

On page 23, we are told that "In earliest 
times immersion prevailed in England as else- 
where," and on page 33, it is shown that it was 
continued longer in England than on the con- 
tinent, or anywhere else. Here, then, we have 
the fact of its existence clearly established; all 
that is required now is to show a reasonable 
probability that it continued to exist. 

On page 29, we have the following quotation 
from Dr. Wall: "The offices and litergies for 
public baptism in the church of England did, all 
along, so far as I can learn, enjoin dipping, 
without any mention of sprinkling or pouring." 
The Doctor adds, that the book of common 
grayer for 1549 required trine immersion, but 
allowed, if the child were weak, it would suffice 
to pour water upon it. In 1552, a new prayer 
book appeared enjoining a single immersion, 
and making pouring optional in case of weak- 
ness. On page 30, we are told that in 1571, 
immersion was practiced by royal decree, and 
church wardens were required to furnish facili- 
ties for the purpose. This was still further de- 
creed in 1584. 

This, then, is the position and practice of the 
Church of England, under royal requirement, 
as late as 1584 — or only fifty-seven years be- 



APPENDIX. . i33 

fore we find the Baptists of England openly 
practicing the same form of baptism, while, so 
far as we can learn, the only influence acting 
against it, is that of the Presbyterian refugees 
recently returned from Switzerland. Will any 
reasonable man suppose that the persecutions 
of those re-baptisinpf would be any more severe, 
where it was done in the prescribed form, than 
when done in violation of royal decree? Such 
a conclusion is absurd. The persecution of the 
Baptists in those days was not because of their 
form of baptism, but because they refused to 
recognize the authority of the state church. 
When, therefore, they immersed, they per- 
formed the act required by royal decree; 
when they sprinkled or poured they not only 
went against the state church, but violated 
the royal decree as well. The argument from 
persecution is, therefore, all in favor of immer- 
sion instead of any other mode, up to at least 
1584. 

Let us now r go on to 1644, and, putting our 
stakes down there, run our line back to a meet- 
ing place. On pages 70 to 72 we have an effort, 
on the part of the Doctor, to prove Dr. Armi- 
tage mistaken, when he states, on the authori- 
ty of Dr. Featley's "Dippers Dipt," that Bap- 
tists had been practicing immersion for twenty 
years previous to 1644. It is no wonder that 
Dr. Whitsitt makes a strong effort to prove 
Dr. Armitage mistaken, for if his statement is 
allowed to stand, it upsets the Doctor's posi- 
tion by seventeen years. I think, however, 



131 THE PATHWAY O/ FIRE. 

that I will be able to convince every unpreju- 
diced reader that it is Dr. Whitsitt, not Dr. 
Armitage, that is laboring under the mistake. 

Dr. Armitage made his statement under the 
authority of Dr. Featley's book, entitled, "The 
Dippers Dipt; or the Anabaptist Plunged 
Head and Ears." 

He gives the following quotation to show 
the manner of their baptism: "They flock in 
great multitudes to their Jordans and both 
sexes enter into the livers and are dipt after 
their manner. * * * * And as they defile our 
rivers with their impure washings, and our pul- 
pits with their false prophecies, and fanatical 
enthusiasms, so the presses groan and sweat 
uDder the load of their blasphemies." I pause 
here to remark, by way of parenthesis — the 
reader will notice that Dr. Featley uses the 
term "washings," when he means immersion; 
we will therefore be justified in understanding 
the same term in the same sense, where we meet 
it in other places. To proceed: Dr. Armitage 
gives a second quotation from another page, as 
follows: "This venomous serpent is the Ana- 
Baptist, who in these later times, first showed 
his shining head and speckled skin, and thrust 
out his sting, near the place of my residence, 
for more than twenty years ago." From these 
two quotations, Dr. Armitage very justly con- 
cludes that immersion was practiced near Dr. 
Featley's residence for more than twenty years 
previous to 1644, or seventeen years before Dr. 
Whitsitt now claims that it was introduced into 



APPENDIX. 135 

England. Dr. Whitsitt admits that both these 
quotations refer to the same class of people, 
but insists that they refer to different modes 
cf baptizing at different times. To prove Dr. 
A rmitage mistaken, and that it was sprinkling 
those Anabaptists practiced, twenty years 
before, he quotes the following, also from Dr. 
Featley's book : "But of late, since the unhappy 
distraction which our sins have brought upon 
us, the temporal sword being otherwise em- 
ployed, and the spiritual locked up fast in the 
scabbord, this sect among others, hath so far 
presumed upon the patience of the state, that 
it hath held weekly conventicles, rebaptized 
hundreds of men and women togetherin the twi- 
light, in rivulets and some arms of the Thames 
and elsewhere, dipping them over head and 
ears." From this quotation, Dr. Whitsitt ar- 
gues that the sect first sprang up twenty years 
before, but that they had only recently begun 
the practice of immersion. To this I answer: 
Does Dr. Featley in the above quotation intend 
to describe a new mode of baptism, or does he 
emphasize the fact that, "since the sword has 
been otherwise employed" those people have 
become bolder and more open and frequent with 
their baptism? Undoubtedly the latter. Un- 
fortunately one part of Dr. Featley's state- 
ment has been left out, which will make the 
whole clear. It is as follows: "This fire, 
which under the reigns of Queen Elizabeth, 
and King James, and our gracious Sovereign 
till now, was covered in England under the 



136 T HE PATHWAY OF FIRE. 

ashes; or if it break out at any time, by the 
care of the ecclesiastics and civil magistrates, 
it was soon put out. But of late, since the un- 
happy distractions which our sins have 
brought upon us," etc., as quoted by Dr. Whit- 
sitt. There is not a line nor a hint here as to 
any new bax^tism, different from that which 
they had always practiced. In these several 
quotations Dr. Featley makes three distinct 
statements: 

1. That this sect existed during the reign 
of Elizabeth and subsequent sovereigns, but 
by the power of the civil magistrates thev 
were kept "covered" — that is, subdued and 
kept under. 

2. That more than twenty years before, they 
had appeared with their dipping near his resi- 
dence. Doubtless, they were again put down 
as usual. 

3. That since the "unhappy distractions" re- 
ferred to, they had become so bold that they 
held weekly meetings, and practiced their im- 
mersions wherever convenient, in the same 
manner as they had done twenty years ago. 

I notice another unfortunate omission made 
by our brother which, when supplied, proves 
beyond a possible doubt not only that Brother 
Whitsitt, rather than Dr. Armitage is mista- 
ken, but that Dr. Featley himself bears the 
most undoubted testimony that immersion had 
been practiced by some "ancient Anabaptists." 

On page 73 the Doctor quotes from Dr. Feat- 
ley's argument against the Baptist confession 



APPENDIX. 137 

of faith, that prescribes — "dipping or plunging, 
as the way and manner of administering the 
ordinance of baptism.'' Touching that Brother 
Whitsitt quotes Featley as follows. "This 
article is wholly sowsed with the new leaven, 
of Anabaptism. I say new leaven for it 
cannot be proved that any of the ancient 
Anabaptists maintained any such position * * * 
It is not essential to baptism, neither do the 
texts in the margin conclude any such thing." 
It will be seen that Dr. Whitsitt has done 
here just what he charges Dr. Armitage with 
having done. He quotes Dr. Featley's state- 
ment up to the word "position," leaves out the 
qualifying phrase, and putting his own con- 
struction on it, uses it as evidence that the 
Anabaptists had not practiced immersion. 
Had the whole quotation been given any reader 
would have seen that Dr. Featley does 
not claim that the ancient Anabaptists 
did not practice immersion, but, on the 
contrary bears the strongest testimony that 
they did. Following is the whole quotation, 
as given by Dr. Armitage. "It cannot be proved 
that any of the ancient Anabaptists main- 
tained any such position, there being three 
ways of baptism; either by dipping, washing, 
or sprinkling." It will be clearly seen that 
the quotation complete conveys a very different 
meaning from that which Brother Whitsitt 
gives it. The "position" here referred to as 
held by the Baptists and which Dr. Featley 
was contending against was not that dipping 



138 THE PATHWAY OF FIRE. 

was the only Scriptural baptism. He says that 
among the Anabaptists there were three modes 
practiced,— "dipping, washing and sprinkling." 

This is what every w^ell informed Baptist ad- 
mits; and what I had already stated in the body 
of my book. 

Dr. Featley could thus very truly declare 
that Anabaptists and even "ancient Anabap- 
tists/' as he understood the term, did practice 
"washing and sprinkling" for it was true; 
but if these combined statements of Dr. 
Featley do not convey the idea that those 
particular Anabaptists of whom he writes, did 
immerse, and that they had continued that 
practice from the days of Queen Elizabeth — al- 
beit they had been, for the most part, kept 
"covered" by the civil power, then it is use- 
less to employ words to convey ideas. I 
stand with Dr. Armitage. 

But I will make this position still stronger. 
One page 68, Dr. Whitsitt makes the following 
quotation, referring to three varieties of Ana- 
baptists, who had gone from England to Am- 
sterdam, and who were there in 1611. Doubt- 
less this was because of one of the many 
decrees of banishment. Of these three varie- 
ties of Anabaptists, it is asserted: "Master 
Smyth, an Anabaptist* of one sort, and Master 
Hilwise of another, and Master Busher of an- 
other." Which sort does Master Busher rep- 
resent? Let him speak for himself, as Dr. 
Whitsitt quotes him on page 69. "And such 
as shall willingly and gladly receive it (the 



APPENDIX. 13Q 

word) be hath commanded to be baptised in 
water, that is, dipped for dead in the water." 
Dr. Whitsitt admits the genuineness of this 
quotation, but seeks to break its force by assert- 
ing that we do not know enough about II usher 
to decide whether he practiced immersion or 
net. That is, when a Christian author states 
that Christ requires immersion, we do not 
know whether he is an immersionist in prac- 
tice. Admitting this, may not the English 
Baptists of a hundred years from now, question 
whether or not Dr. Whitsitt was an immersion- 
ist in practice? Undoubtedly Busher repre- 
sented the immersing variety of Anabaptists. 

This is the sect that Dr. Featley says was 
"kept covered" in England, until the unhappy 
"distractions," when they came out boldly, and 
openly practiced their immersions, very much 
to the disgust of good Doctor Featley. 

And this view is still further strengthened 
by the declaration of Dr. Featle^ that there 
were other sects that had also "presumed on the 
patience of the state." He says: "This sect 
among others." — that is other sects. What oth- 
er sects? Why the other sects of Anabaptists 
who also defied the state church, and went on 
preaching believers' baptism only, but poured 
their members instead of immersing them. 

You see how this complaint of Dr. Featley 
that "this sect among others" is in perfect ac- 
cord with the testimony furnished by Dr. Whit- 
sitt that "there were three varieties of Ana- 
baptists." Dr. Featley does not say they all 



140 THE PATHWAY OF FIRE. 

immersed, but lie does say that "This sect 
among others hath so far presumed on the pa- 
tience of the state that it hath held weekly 
conventicles, baptised hundreds of men and 
w T omen,"etc. Each sect "presumed on the pa- 
tience of the state" to carry out its practices in 
its own way. 

I have thus, from Dr. Whitsitt's own book, 
traced immersion back from where we planted 
our stakes in 1644 to Queen Elizabeth in 1558, 
or twenty-six years back of the time when im- 
mersion was the prevailing custom in the En- 
glish church, and maintained by royal author- 
ity; that is, that believers' immersion overlaps 
that required by royal decree, and practiced in 
the English church, by twenty-six years. 

It should be stated here, in justice to Brother 
Whitsitt, that he does not dispute the exist- 
ence of infant immersion up to or even after 
1584. His contention refers only to believers' 
immersion; but my argument is, that where 
we can trace believers' immersion back twenty- 
six years beyond where infant immersion is so 
prevalent, it compels the belief, other facts so 
strongly corroberating it, that believers' im- 
mersion must have been practiced during the 
same period, remembering, as we must, that 
under far more adverse circumstances, it had 
survived for fourteen centuries. 

Before passing to other proofs of my posi- 
tion found in the book, let me call attention to 
another serious mistake I am certain the Doc- 
tor has made, and one that must have a most 



APPENDIX. 141 

important bearing on the whole question at 
issue. I refer to his position in regard to Men- 
no Simon, whom Baptists have always regard- 
ed as Baptist in principle and practice, but 
who Dr. Whitsitt tells us practiced sprinkling 
instead of immersion. The authority on which 
he asserts this is a so-called corrected transla- 
tion of Menno's utterances on the subject, and 
is given on page 46. 

A scholar named Morgan Edwards, it ap- 
pears made a translation of Menno's statement, 
touching baptism as follows : "After we have 
searched ever so diligently, we shall find no 
other baptism besides dipping in water, which 
is acceptable to God, and maintained in His 
word." But now comes one Dr. Burrage and 
says the passage from Simon is not correctly 
translated, and gives the following as the cor- 
rect one: "However diligently we seeii, night 
and day, yet we find no more than one baptism 
in water, that is pleasing to God, expressed 
ard contained in His word — namely, this bap- 
tism on faith." Forthwith, therefore, Brother 
Whitsitt gives up the translation of Edwards, 
adopts that of Burrage, and puts Menno 
Simon out of the Baptist fold. 

But now, who is Dr. Burrage? And in what 
respect is he a more reliable witness than Ed- 
wards? Here is a translation that has stood 
for years as correct. Are we to give it up till 
we know something about the man who gives us 
the new? Is Dr. Burrage a disinterested wit- 
ness? Is he a Baptist or a Pedobaptist? Is 



142 THE PATHWAY OF FIRE. 

lie better able to give a correct translation 
than Edwards? I mnst have information on 
these points before I can consent to let go of 
Menno Simon. I know of scores of professedly 
learned men who contend that dipping or im- 
mersion is not the correct translation of the 
Greek word "Baptise" This we know to be 
incorrect; is it not possible that this translation 
of Dr. Burrage is also incorrect? 

But now for argument's sake, I will admit the 
Burrage translation to be the correct one. 
What is the result? We have twice the testi- 
mony to the Baptistic principles and practices 
of Menno Simon than we had before. The Ed- 
wards translation makes no reference to be- 
lievers as being the only proper subjects of 
Baptism. The Burrage translation proves 
Menno to have been sound on this point, and 
does not in the least weaken the testimony as 
to the mode. Here are Burrage's own word-s: 
"We shall find no more than one baptism in wa- 
ter, that is pleasing to Ood." The baptism of 
Menno Simon was therefore that of a believer 
only in water. This makes him a Baptist. 
You can't baptize a person in water by putting 
a few T drops on his forehead. You can't bap- 
tize a person in w/^ter by pouring a dipper full 
over his head. If you can let us give up our 
contention with the Pedobaptists and adopt 
their mode of administration. But there is 
only $me way in which you can baptize a per- 
son in water. That is by dipping him in the 
water. This fact is as clear as the sunlight 



APPENDIX. 143 

and I must be excused if I refuse to follow the 
example of Brother Whitsitt, and surrender 
Menno Simon simply because Doctor Burrage 
says Morgan Edwards made a mistake in the 
translation. Menno Simon was undoubtedly 
a Baptist, so far as baptism goes, if the transla- 
tion of Dr. Burrage is correct. Let us now 
test my position by the rule of logic. 

A Baptist is one who baptises believers 
only, and who baptises only in water. 

Menno Simon baptised believers only and 
baptised them only in water. 

Therefore Menno Simon was a Baptist. 

Menno Simon was a Baptist. 
The Mennonites were followers of Menno 
Simon. 

Therefore the Mennonites were Baptists. 

The baptism of Smyth and his party was 
identical with that of the Mennonites (Whit- 
sitt P. 59.) 

The Baptism of the Mennonites was that of 
a believer in water, which is the baptism of 
the Baptists. 

Therefore Smyth and his party were Bap- 
tists. 

When Brother Whitsitt shall have proved 
this to be unsound logic, I will confess to hav- 
ing studied Bishop Whately in vain. 

Granted, that some, even many of the Men- 
nonites afterwards adopted the practice of 
sprinkling, which it is no doubt they did; they 
were no longer followers of Menno Simon 



144 THE PATHWAY OF FIRE. 

and no longer entitled to the name of Mennon- 
ites. 

"Menno's most definite expression," says 
Bro. Whitsitt, (P. 47,) "touching the act of bap- 
tism is found in the folio edition of his works, 
where he says, "I certainly think that these 
and similar commands, (to love one's enemies, 
etc.) are more painful and burdensome to per- 
verted flesh, which is everywhere so prone to 
walk in its own way. than it is to receive a 
handful of water." 

To this statement of our brother I have two 
answers. The first is, I think Brother Whit- 
sitt again mistaken. This statement is 
not, in my judgment, "Menno's most definite 
expression." The most definite expression 
quoted by our brother is that which declares 
that "The only baptism that is acceptable to 
God and maintained in His word, is that of a 
believer in water." This is definite, clear cut,, 
and leaves no doubt of his meaning. 

My second answer is that this last statement 
has no bearing on his own practice, as to the 
mode of baptism. This statement is easily 
enough understood. He was there writing 
from the standpoint of his enemies. He 
was referring in a controversial way, to 
their practice, not his; and tells them that it is 
no doubt harder for them to follow the pre- 
cepts of true Christianity than it was to re- 
ceive their little handful of water baptism. 
This utterance, therefore, only strengthens, in- 
stead of weakens the position that Menno was 



APPENDIX. 145 

a believer in, and practiced believers' baptism 
ir water. 

What then is the result of this fact proven 
beyond successful contradiction, that Menno 
Simon and his followers were Baptists and 
that Sinyth and his party joined the Mennon- 
ites because their baptism was precisely alike? 
Brother Whitsitt has based his entire argument 
on the mistaken idea that Menno and his fol- 
lowers practiced sprinkling; this proven to be 
an error, and that they were Baptists, destroys 
his whole foundation and his superstructure 
falls. This fact I have proven beyond the shad- 
ow of a doubt from his own witnesses. 

Now, what further proof does Dr. Whitsitt 
give us, in favor of reasonable probability that 
immersion continued to be practiced in Eng- 
land? On page 21, he tells us that Professor 
Seheffer "claims that but very few Anabaptists 
practiced immersion." Even, therefore, Prof. 
Seheffer, himself a disbeliever in the practice, 
is compelled to admit that some did practice 
it. It would be interesting if Prof. Seheffer 
had told us just what proportion he regarded 
as very few. Others might differ from him 
there. 

Page 35: "In fact, few Anabaptists any- 
where were iinmersionists." Some of them, 
then, were. Page 37: "While the great body 
of Anabaptist believers practiced pouring and 
sprinkling, there were a few exceptions in favor 
of immersion." Was it not possible that a 
few of them were still in England, where, Dr. 



146 THE PATHWAY OF FIRE. 

Whitsitt tells us, immersion continued longer 
than anv where else? 

Page 38: "The people of St. Gall, whom Gre- 
bel baptised in the Sitter river on Palm Sun- 
day, 1525, it is likely were immersed." 

Page 39: "Clement Sender, an eye witness, 
describes the act of baptism in the river Lech; 
that it was immersion, except in times of per- 
secution, when it was administered simpb- by 
sprinkling the forehead in cellars and barn- 
yards!" 

Same Page: "No sufficient reason appears 
for calling in question the authority of Sender. 
If it be allowed to stand, then we must con- 
clude that the Anabaptists of Augsberg, at 
the most nourishing moment of their existence 
when their church numbered 1,100 members, 
practiced immersion as well as sprinkling." 

Page 40: "There were immersing Anabap- 
tists in Poland, Silesia, Luathania and Pomer- 
ania." Quite a respectable array of immersion- 
ists after all. 

As a great majority of those immersions, at 
least, were outside of England, they furnish, 
of course, no positive proof that the same ex- 
isted in England: but they do furnish strong 
circumstantial evidence. If there be so 
many exceptions to the rule elsewhere, it is rea- 
sonable to suppose there would be in England 
also. Add to this the facts that immersion 
prevailed in England long after it went out of 
general use elsewhere — that we can trace it 
forward by royal decrees to 1584, and then 



APPENDIX. 147 

back, as I have clearly shown to twenty-six 
years beyond that point — that there is plain 
reference to three kinds of Anabaptists in 
England one of which the Doctor's own wit- 
ness proves to have been inimersionists, that 
in spite of faggot and fire and imprisonment, 
and every species of persecution and torture, 
there had continued a people who had main- 
tained their allegiance to Christ, through so 
many long centuries — though "kept covered 
under the ashes;" in England, they were yet 
there, and I appeal to every unprejudiced read- 
er, if I have not proven a reasonable probabili- 
ty, if it does not amount even , o a certainty — 
that immersion still survived in England dur- 
ing the period in which it is disputed. Kemein- 
ber, its existence is admitted, and a reasonable 
probability of its continuance, is all I am re- 
quired to establish. 

What now is necessary on the Doctor's part, 
to overthrow this position and maintain his 
case? He must prove absolutely beyond any 
reasonable doubt, by positive indisputable evi- 
dence, that there was not a single case of be- 
lievers' immersion in England during the period 
referred to; circumstantial evidence must be 
ruled out, as insufficient to overthrow an es- 
tablished fact. The fact that a man can count 
a thousand oak trees in a piece of woods is no 
proof that the pine trees that stood there are not 
there now. Similarly the fact that Brother 
Whitsitt has shown that thousands of persons 
practiced sprinkling and pouring in England, 



148 THE PATHWAY OF FIRE. 

during a certain period, is no proof that some- 
body did not practice believers' immersion at 
the same time. With such testimony, Brother 
Whitsitt would fail to get a verdict in a case 
involving one hundred dollars, before any 
court in the United States. And yet this is 
precisely the nature of his testimony, from be- 
ginning to end. 

He relies largely en witnesses. Are those 
witnesses competent to testify — not merely 
that they can count a thousand oak trees, but 
that the pine trees are not there. Permit me 
to rely on his kind of testimony, and I will prove 
that there is not a Baptist today in the United 
States. 

I am fully aware of the relative distinction 
between "legal evidence" and "moral evi- 
dence," — "Legal certainty" and "Moral certain- 
ty," and the argument that may be made there- 
from; but this case comes under the domain of 
the former, and nothing short of positive proof 
can be accepted. We have a right to question 
the witnesses. Do they know all the facts? 
Have they gone into every nook and corner 
where those persecuted people hid them- 
selves, in the dark days when they were either 
banished, or "kept covered under the ashes,"and 
sought out every case of believers' baptism 
that was administered? Have they made 
themselves acquainted with the practice of 
every preacher, and every church? Have they 
visited every one of them in their midnight 
conventicles, where they met to worship God in 



APPENDIX. 149 

secret, that they might maniftst their allegiance 
to Christ and his word, unseen by the keen eye 
of their persecutors? This is what they must 
have done to be competent witnesses in this 
case. 

I grant, for argument's sake, that Dr. Whit- 
sitt has made a strong case — an incontroverti- 
ble case — in all that he has attempted to do. 
That, is to show that, during the period named, 
there were thousands of Christians in England, 
some of them called Anabaptists, who prac- 
ticed sprinkling and pouring; but this is no 
evidence that there may not have been others 
who practiced something else. We can fur- 
nish the testimony of ten millions of people to 
prove the custom of sprinkling in 
this country, but that is no evidence 
that there may not be a few Baptists 
here who practice immersion. Yet that is pre- 
cisely the nature of Brother Whitsitt'S testi- 
mony. He furnishes, also, numerous cases of 
individual pouring, to prove that nothing else 
existed. Similarly, we can fill fifty books of 
five hundred pages each, with reports of indi- 
vidual cases of sprinkling in this country, al- 
though we have three million Baptists as well. 

Let it be remembered that during 
those dark days for the Baptists in England, 
that, in addition to the difficulty of keeping 
proper records, it was dangerous for them to 
do so. A few of their records have survived; 
but will any man imagine that those few 
records found in the British Museum and the 



150 THE PATHWAY OF FIRE. 

Bodlein Library, cover all the work clone for 
Christ and his cause, during that period? Dr. 
Whitsitt makes the positive statement that be- 
lievers' immersion had ceased to exist — "was 
a lost art" — in England, Drior to 1641. He has 
only proven that a great many people, during 
that period, practiced something else. 

The small amount of reliance to be put on 
the testimony furnished by the numerous quo- 
tations, to prove that "immersion was some- 
thing new in 1641," and afterwards, will be 
readily understood, if we remember, first, that 
at that time the temporal sword had ceased to 
keep "the fire of their faith covered under the 
ashes," and argument and ridicule w T ere the 
only weapons left with which to fight the Bap- 
tists, when they came out more openly with 
their practice; and second, that this has always 
been a favorable mode of warfare in the baptis- 
mal controversy. We all know how frequently 
we have heard the same epithets and insin- 
uations of our recent origin, and the newness 
of our practice, even in our own day and in our 
own land, so that the argument from the^e is 
of very little value in the controversy. 

There is neither desire nor necessity on my 
part to impeach any of Brother Whitsitt's wit- 
nesses, but it should not be overlooked, that 
those on whom he most strongly relies are ad- 
verse witnesses; and it is always a rule in evi- 
dence to take the testimony of an adverse wit- 
ness with reasonable caution. While, there- 
fore, their honesty is, no doubt, unquestionable, 



APPENDIX. 151 

it is reasonable to suppose that their belief and 
practice, will more or less influence the conclu- 
sions which they form from their investiga- 
tions. Still, giving due weight to every testi- 
mony brought forward, it is my firm conviction 
that Brother Whitsitt has not only failed to 
prove the claim he set up, but has furnished 
very strong presumptive evidence against him- 
self. 

Indeed I think there is needed no stronger 
evidence than that which Dr. Whitsitt himself 
furnishes to prove that believers' immersion 
did not require to be reintroduced in England 
in 1641. 

I cannot close this brief sketch without ex- 
pressing my high appreciation of the kind and 
gentle spirit, and Christ-like disposition our 
dear Brother Whitsitt has manifested through 
all this unfortunate controversy. He has 
shown us all an example of meekness, and 
Christian charity that we will do well to imi- 
tate. The fact that I think he is mistaken in 
the conclusion he has drawn from the testi- 
mony furnished, does not, in the least, shake 
my confidence in him as a sound Baptist, or my 
kind regard for him as a brother beloved. 
Calm as a rock he has stood, while the thunders 
of controversy have roared around him, and the 
storms of adverse criticism have beat upon 
him; and when this storm shall have all blown 
over, and the unpleasant things connected with 
il forgotten, the memory of that kind and gen- 
tle spirit will remain with us, like a benedic- 



152 THE PATHWAY OF FIRE. 

tion, and will anchor our brother more firmly 
than ever in the loving heart of our great de- 
nomination. Brother Whitsitt has kept his 
word, and given us all the reasons for the posi- 
tion he has taken. Let us each one study 
them, carefully, honestly, and form such con- 
clusion in the matter, as our judgment shall 
dictate. Then let us all "shake hands across 
the bloody chasm,' 7 lay the matter aside, as one 
of the useful lessons we, as a denomination, 
have learned, and rally as one man to the great 
work our God has given us to do. 



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